According to operations manager Anna Meissner, Västerås city has invested more resources in the Fritidsbanken, a leisure equipment bank. The facility moved to new larger premises in 2025, and two branches have been established in the municipality. The goal is to lend out 64,000 articles per year within four years.
Two new branches have been launched to expand access. One is an unmanned branch with skates at Råby IP, where people can borrow equipment at the skating occasion instead of taking it home. The other is a manned 'Little Fritidsbanken' at Pettersberg, run by the school and youth center.
Students at Pettersberg School and youth from the youth center can borrow equipment from this branch without having to go to the main location at Ängsgärdet. Loan statistics show significant growth. In 2024, the Fritidsbanken in Västerås lent out 8,441 articles, almost exclusively through loans from the shop in Bäckby.
In 2025, 32,818 articles were lent out to nearly 12,000 individuals. In the first quarter of the previous year (2025), the corresponding figure was 6,525 articles.