Working For Progress

Chris Hellawell on Tool Libraries, Community Resilience, and Building Something Scotland Needed

Dani Trudeau Season 2 Episode 1

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0:00 | 23:55

In this episode, Dani speaks with Chris Hellawell. Director of the Edinburgh Tool Library and one of those people who saw something working somewhere else and decided to bring it home.

The origin story is a good one: Chris visited a tool library in Canada, saw what it could do for a community, and came back convinced Scotland needed one. Since 2015, the Edinburgh Tool Library has saved its members over £2 million and supported more than 100 community groups and charities.

They talk about what community resilience actually looks like in practice, the early days of building something from scratch, and, quietly, what running a values-led organisation makes possible in the rest of your life too.

A grounded conversation about tools, community, and doing work that matters close to home.

Working For Progress is hosted by Dani Trudeau and produced by Alice Hudson.

Dani Trudeau, founder of Tribe Porty, a community coworking space in Edinburgh built on the belief that creativity, collaboration, and care are good for people, business, and the world.

If you enjoy the show, please follow, rate, and share, it helps others find conversations like this one.

You can find more about Tribe Porty on Instagram & Facebook and Youtube and LinkedIn.

Find Dani's substack at RootedImpact