Cousland Coin - local currency
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Introducing the Cousland Coin!
Local currencies have, in some places, helped people share skills, swap goods, and build connections. With that in mind, we’d like to explore the idea of a Cousland Coin.
So what is it?
The Cousland Coin would be an optional, light-touch idea designed to sit alongside community spirit, not replace it. It would be an opt-in pilot for anyone who finds it useful or enjoyable. If it’s not for you, that’s completely fine.
The coin itself is a simple physical token (see photo) and has no fixed value, you decide what it’s worth.
Cousland has a strong and generous community spirit. People regularly help one another out of kindness and it is something we absolutely wouldn’t want to change.
For some folk, though, asking for help can feel difficult, especially without there being a clear way for them to “give something back” to the helper. The Cousland Coin would offer a flexible, informal way to give those folk a way to “pay back” a helper, making folk feel easier and more comfortable when asking for help.
So why try it?
It may also encourage people to share skills, ideas, and time in new and creative ways, and help build connections between people who might not otherwise cross paths.
Maybe one coin gets you a basket of garden produce, help with assembling flat‑pack furniture, a lift to the shops, or anything else you’re happy to trade. It’s entirely up to you.
Equally, acts of kindness, volunteering, and everything that already happens so naturally in the village can, and should, continue exactly as they are, with no expectation of coins being involved.
How do we get involved?
We hope to have some coins ready for Gala Day. This is very much a trial. We’ll run it as a pilot and listen to feedback. There is no pressure or obligation and it is just an experiment to see whether using it adds something positive to the lives of those who choose to take part.
If you’d like to give it a go, just email [email protected] with your name and mobile number and we’ll add you to a new WhatsApp group, where participants can connect and arrange exchanges.
What will happen longer term?
After a year, we’ll gather the coins back in for a little “debt jubilee” moment, and should everyone want to keep it going, we can start fresh for the next round, with, potentially, more people joining.
Who’s looking after the experiment?
Cousland residents Tom Morrow and Richard Taylor are the champions of this project, so feel free to chat with them at the Cousland Community Café or get in touch via the email address above.
Local currencies have, in some places, helped people share skills, swap goods, and build connections. With that in mind, we’d like to explore the idea of a Cousland Coin.
So what is it?
The Cousland Coin would be an optional, light-touch idea designed to sit alongside community spirit, not replace it. It would be an opt-in pilot for anyone who finds it useful or enjoyable. If it’s not for you, that’s completely fine.
The coin itself is a simple physical token (see photo) and has no fixed value, you decide what it’s worth.
Cousland has a strong and generous community spirit. People regularly help one another out of kindness and it is something we absolutely wouldn’t want to change.
For some folk, though, asking for help can feel difficult, especially without there being a clear way for them to “give something back” to the helper. The Cousland Coin would offer a flexible, informal way to give those folk a way to “pay back” a helper, making folk feel easier and more comfortable when asking for help.
So why try it?
It may also encourage people to share skills, ideas, and time in new and creative ways, and help build connections between people who might not otherwise cross paths.
Maybe one coin gets you a basket of garden produce, help with assembling flat‑pack furniture, a lift to the shops, or anything else you’re happy to trade. It’s entirely up to you.
Equally, acts of kindness, volunteering, and everything that already happens so naturally in the village can, and should, continue exactly as they are, with no expectation of coins being involved.
How do we get involved?
We hope to have some coins ready for Gala Day. This is very much a trial. We’ll run it as a pilot and listen to feedback. There is no pressure or obligation and it is just an experiment to see whether using it adds something positive to the lives of those who choose to take part.
If you’d like to give it a go, just email [email protected] with your name and mobile number and we’ll add you to a new WhatsApp group, where participants can connect and arrange exchanges.
What will happen longer term?
After a year, we’ll gather the coins back in for a little “debt jubilee” moment, and should everyone want to keep it going, we can start fresh for the next round, with, potentially, more people joining.
Who’s looking after the experiment?
Cousland residents Tom Morrow and Richard Taylor are the champions of this project, so feel free to chat with them at the Cousland Community Café or get in touch via the email address above.
How they were made:
Oak spindles being turned down
Coin being 'made'
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The initial cut coins
Coin being 'made'
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'coins' being sanded
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