Lincoln Clothes Swap

The Lincoln Sustainable Fashion Forum is running another community clothes swap at Lincoln Central Library on Saturday 24 October. It's one of their monthly swaps, and the whole thing is built around a simple exchange: you bring in clothes you no longer wear and trade them for something new-to-you. The forum describes it as a way to offer ethical clothing options to the local community, with the aim of extending the life of garments and reducing textile waste.

The format works in two distinct stages. First, between 11am and 12pm, you drop off your items — up to five gently used adult clothing pieces — and receive a virtual token for each one. Then, from 12pm to 1pm, you use those tokens to swap for pieces others have brought in. It's a straightforward trade: one token for one item, so the more you bring, the more you can take home.

There are a couple of things to keep in mind before you pack your bag. The swap accepts adult clothing only, so children's wear won't count. Everything you bring needs to be in good condition — free of stains, rips, pilling or tears — so that the pieces coming out are as wearable as the ones going in. If you've got a few bits that still have plenty of life left in them but just don't fit your wardrobe anymore, this is a decent way to let them find a new home rather than seeing them go to waste.

It's all happening at Lincoln Central Library on Saturday 24 October: drop-off from 11am to 12pm, and the swap itself from 12pm to 1pm. If you're planning to do both, you'll want to be there in the morning to get your tokens ready for the second half.