Community Champions: Brixton Pound

Brixton Massive
Jul 10, 2017 · 3 min read

Even in a place as unique as Brixton, the Brixton Pound is something a bit special. One of only a handful of local currency schemes in the country, it was set up in 2009 to make sure that ‘money sticks to Brixton’, and in the intervening years that have seen Brixton go through some enormous changes, it has never been a more important goal.

Established in response to the financial crisis, the project is about community development and finding creative solutions, but with an activist focus. The spirit of the Brixton Pound was to inspire and show that alternatives are in fact viable; the ‘democratisation of money — taking control and not leaving it to the state’, said Josh Ryan-Collins of Transition Town Brixton, who was originally behind the currency. Brixton Pounds can now be used in 250 local businesses, encouraging people to shop and eat locally, thereby benefiting the local economy.

Although having a local currency seems bold and radical, other parts of the world have been well ahead of the UK, using digital currency in Kenya and Uruguay long before it was introduced in Brixton and other towns like Lewes and Bristol. But whilst using the money digitally is important in today’s evermore cashless society, the paper notes of the Brixton Pound have become symbolic of the pride in the area and it’s independent, ‘do-it-yourself’ ethos.

Brixton Pound works for the community in several ways — as well encouraging local trade by ensuring that money circulates in Brixton, the 1.5% transaction fee for online payments, paid by businesses, goes into the Brixton Fund which makes awards to local community projects. Recently it made awards of £1500 to Spacecraft, a project aiming to reduce isolation amongst the elderly through craft and enterprise, £1100 to Vintage Voices, a creative writing workshop to reduce social isolation, and £1000 to Chaigaram, a tea-making enterprise that creates employment for refugees.

Brixton Pound HQ is rooted in the community, in the form of a cafe on Atlantic Road. This is no ordinary cafe, it acts as a bank and a community hub. The cafe is pay-as-you-feel, using surplus food from local businesses, meaning that anyone who walks in can afford it, or if they want to, can show their appreciation — someone once paid £20 for a cup of coffee! It also provides a centre for many Brixton-focused projects and meetings are often held there — there’s no better place to network. The cafe has a basement space that can be hired for workshops, exhibitions or events. At the time of writing the cafe is having a takeover by Livity UK, a youth-led creative network, who are putting on events including a music tech workshop, zine fair and spoken word event.

The space at the Brixton Pound cafe is a rarity in an area which has seen long standing businesses forced out due to rent hikes. The cafe is open-armed to the community, it fosters connections and creativity. If you haven’t been, you really should go, and if you have then you’ll know that its innovation and spirit is something to shout about.

Having done so much for the community, the Brixton Pound cafe is asking for the community to get behind their crowdfunder to help raise funds to fully equip the kitchen and event space for hire, upgrade the electronic currency facility to enable more people to use it, and hire a Community Activator to engage more with all sectors of the community. So please support this fantastic project if you can, no amount is too little — Brixton Pound know the power of small change.

https://www.spacehive.com/brixtonpound

For people who want to live it large and local. Turning up the noise on what's going on, and bigging up the people and places that make Brixton original.

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