THE POPULAR Bromsgrove Repair Cafe is set to celebrate the first anniversary of its official launch at 2pm this Saturday, October 7.
The monthly event – at All Saints Church, Burcot Lane – started in March 2022 and held its official launch last October.
The scheme enables people to have a host of household items repaired – in return for a donation to keep the project going – and helps prevent hundreds of goods going to landfill by giving them a new lease of life.
Among items the volunteer repairers can fix are vintage radios, laptops, furniture, broken toys, clocks, clothes, jewellery and mechanical items.
The team can also repair bikes and clothes but refers alterations – especially new garments – to commercial businesses.
Preventing needless waste
So far, in 2023, 350 repairs have been carried out (including knife sharpenings) and has received rave reviews from visitors who leave happy with their regenerated goods. This has saved 95kg of household items from landfill. Those figures have been sent to the county council’s ‘Let’s Waste Less’ department so they can be added to those from the 13 other Worcestershire towns’ repair cafes.
The Repair Cafe has teams dealing with sewing, electrical and electronics, sharpening, mechanical and woodwork and a jewellery and clock repairer.
The project has 20 repairers but is always looking for more – in particular – a bike fixer to help get cycles roadworthy.
People are also urged to take children along who can see the fixers in action and pick up some practical knowledge.
At tomorrow’s celebration, Bromsgrove District Council chairman, Coun Sam Ammar, will be there to find out more about what the Repair Cafe does.
The repair cafes take place at All Saints Church Hall on the first Saturday of each month from 2pm to 5pm.
No booking is necessary, people can just turn up but are urged to go early to reduce waiting times.
Visitors need to complete a simple registration form about their item and then wait for the appropriate repairer to be free.
While they wait, visitors can enjoy homemade cakes and drinks and chat with people at the cafe.
They then get to watch their items being repaired.
Anyone interested in becoming a repairer or wanting to find out if an unusual item can be fixed should visit the Repair Cafe Bromsgrove Facebook page, email [email protected] or text 07804 251731.
