I particularly want to encourage private syndicates, currently these are usually for boats, aircraft and horses. But as the idea grows I hope people will look for like-minded partners to share a wider range of items that are closer to home: cars, tools, equipment (lawnmowers, sewing machines), jewellery, even dogs!

You can share in many ways, joint ownership or fractional rental (for example, each sharer uses the lawnmower once a week or the boat one weekend a month). It just requires a little imagination and careful discussion at the beginning, together with a written contract for high value items.

I’ve spoken to many members of private syndicates who have bought a share because it lowers the cost, only to find that the advantages of community, new friends, preparedness to maintain items to a high standard because the cost is shared, have been huge benefits that they hadn’t expected.