About us
Neighbours, not strangers
Most people would happily help someone on their street. The hard part is knowing who needs it — and asking.
Our story
It started with a shelf nobody put up.
Neighbourly exists because asking for help is difficult. A shelf that's been leaning against the wall for a year, a garden that's got away from someone, a week where the shopping money didn't stretch — none of it is easy to say out loud.
So we made a noticeboard. Anyone can post a request in their own words, put it in a category, and say roughly where they are. Anyone can read those requests without an account, filter down to their own town or county, and offer what they're able to give.
There's no membership fee, no commission and no upsell. Listings are public so the community can see what's needed; contact happens privately between the two people involved.
We're small, we're moderated by real people, and we take safeguarding seriously. If something on the site doesn't look right, tell us and we'll act.
What we believe
Six things we hold to.
Asking is normal
Everybody needs a hand sometimes. We write every part of this site to make asking feel as ordinary as knocking on a door.
Local first
Help works best when it's five minutes away. Every listing carries a town, county, region and country so nothing gets lost in a national feed.
Private by default
Your address and contact details are never published. Offers arrive in your Neighbourly inbox, and you decide who to reply to.
Moderated by people
Every listing is read by a real moderator before it appears. If something isn't right, we tell the poster why and how to fix it.
Free, and staying free
No fees, no commission, no premium tier for people in need. Advertising from local businesses keeps the lights on.
Built with neighbours
Features come from what people ask us for — bigger text, clearer buttons, simpler forms. Tell us what would help.
Who it's for
Who Neighbourly is for.
Three groups of people meet on the same noticeboard — and everyone tends to end up in more than one of them.
People who need a hand
Older neighbours, new parents, people recovering from illness, anyone having a hard month. Write the request in your own words — there's no jargon and no eligibility test.
- No cost, ever
- No means testing
- Your details stay private
People who want to help
You don't need to sign up to a rota or commit to anything. Browse what's needed in your town, pick one thing you can do, and offer.
- Filter to your postcode
- Help once or often
- Message safely on-site
Community groups & trades
Churches, mutual aid groups, scout troops and local tradespeople all use Neighbourly to find the people who most need their time.
- Spot local need quickly
- Offer skills, not just time
- Sponsor an ad space
Moderated by people
A human reads every listing before it goes live.
Contact stays private
Messages run through the site — no details published.
Free, for good
No fees, no commission, no upsell. Ever.
How we got here.
The problem
Help exists — it's just invisible
Most streets have someone with a ladder, a spare hour or a car. They rarely know who needs it, and the person who needs it rarely feels able to ask.
The idea
One public noticeboard
Not a chat group you have to join, not an app you have to be invited to. A page anyone can read without an account, sorted by where you live.
Today
Thousands of requests, five countries
Neighbourly now carries listings across the UK, United States, Canada, Australia and New Zealand — from shelving and shopping to lifts, lessons and financial worry.
Next
Local moderators everywhere
We're recruiting volunteer moderators and community team leaders so that every area has someone nearby keeping an eye on things.
Safety and trust
Real people read every listing.
Nothing appears on the public noticeboard until a moderator has read it. We check that a request is genuine, that it isn't asking for anything unsafe, and that no personal details have been shared by accident.
If we can't approve something, the person who posted it gets an email and an account notification with the reason and, wherever possible, what to change.
Accounts are needed to post or to offer help, messages stay on the site so our team can step in, and we never ask anyone to send money through Neighbourly.
5
Countries covered
100%
Free to post and to help
0
Contact details published
24/7
Noticeboard open
FAQs
Questions we're asked a lot.
Does it cost anything?
No. Posting a request, browsing and offering help are all free, and always will be. We're funded by advertising from local businesses and community organisations.
Do I need an account to look?
No. Anyone can read the noticeboard and filter it by town, county, category and country. You only need an account to post a request or send an offer of help.
Is my address published?
Never. We show an approximate map pin for your town and postcode area only, and your email address and phone number are never displayed on a listing.
Who checks the listings?
Every listing goes to a human moderator before it goes live. If it's rejected you get an email and an account notification explaining exactly why.
Can I ask for money?
You can ask for financial support — food, bills, essentials — but we never handle payments and we ask both sides to be careful. Read our safeguarding guidance before you agree to anything.
How do I get more involved?
There's a whole page on it. You can refer neighbours, hand out leaflets, moderate listings or lead a community team in your area.
Join in
Ask for a hand, or offer one this week.
It takes two minutes to post a request, and about the same to find someone nearby you could help.