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AirBnB for stuff coming to the Highlands as former Inverness woman brings Pa-rent initiative to the region following a successful trial in Edinburgh


By Ian Duncan

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Victoria Davidson who is setting up Pa-rent. Picture Gary Anthony
Victoria Davidson who is setting up Pa-rent. Picture Gary Anthony

A former Inverness woman is hoping that people in the Highlands could benefit from a new initiative which is a similar idea to AirBnB – but instead of renting out homes they rent out stuff.

Victoria Davidson, who is a 35-year-old solicitor now living in Leamington Spa, started Pa-rent with fellow Scottish mum Vicky Thomson from Edinburgh.

The Scottish start-up promotes borrowing everyday items as a sustainable, convenient and cheaper alternative to buying them.

The website was launched at the end of December, originally in the Edinburgh area, it already has around 600 users and organisers are hoping to bring it to the Highlands.

Miss Davidson said: “Vicky and I had our kids around the same time and when we were decluttering to get ready to go back to work, we realised just how much stuff we had.

“Expensive items like prams, play pens, bouncers that we both had were taking up a lot of room and just gathering dust. It seemed such a waste to have all these things lying around and getting old when other families out there could be getting a good use out of them.

“We did some research and there were lots of other mums and dads who felt the same way. And it wasn’t just kids’ items that people had lying around. They had other things such as carpet cleaners, gazebos and bouncy castles that other families could make use of.”

She said after starting in the Scottish capital, Inverness and the surrounding areas would be next. She added: “We want to create a trusted and supportive community.

“We care about making life simpler, more convenient and more sustainable so decided to trial the idea in our own communities first. We are going to concentrate on growing it in Inverness and Beauly over the next few months.”

Miss Davidson described Pa-rent as a community of families who came together online to share resources. She said: “We like to think of it as a ‘family of families’ – where we all help each other out.

“The Pa-rent marketplace is an online portal that you can visit to lend or borrow all types of equipment for family life. It could be anything from a pram for six months, a bike for the week, or a bouncy castle or gazebo for one day.

“The platform offers a free verification service which gives users the option to become verified by completing ID checks to help provide additional reassurance. Users can also leave reviews of lenders and borrowers, much like AirBnB.”

She said they hoped to create a trusted and supportive community that made life more convenient.


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