Time credits: the alternative currency enabling volunteers to take action in communities
Time credits offer an alternative way to reward work that is traditionally unpaid, as Hazel Sheffield reports
Stephen Ricketts was 50 when he looked down at his dinner plate one night and found it had disappeared.
Mr Ricketts would later find out that he has hereditary condition that causes blindness. Overnight, it robbed him of his confidence and his work as a commercial tyre fitter. He became housebound, unable even to make a cup of tea, and so depressed that one evening he found himself on a bridge near his home in Llanelli in Carmarthenshire, Wales, contemplating suicide.
That was four years ago. Now Mr Ricketts is helping other people suffering from disabilities and loneliness with the Llanelli Visually Impaired Bowls Club. The bowls club has flourished since Mr Ricketts founded it in 2016. This year, they are raising money to attend a national championship in Weston-Super-Mare.
Subscribe to Independent Premium to bookmark this article
Want to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? Start your Independent Premium subscription today.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies