During September, I attended my first repair café. I’d heard about the concept through social media: a group of volunteer repairers who will take a look at your broken items and try to save them from landfill by fixing them.

And so, after staring (for several months) at a floor lamp in my living room that refused to turn on, I finally got my act together and decided to head over to Macknade in Faversham, where the repair café would be open from 10am to 1pm on a Wednesday.

I parked up and unloaded my cargo: floor lamp in one hand, my excitable toddler in the other. Walking through the fruit and veg section of the shop like this, I felt a little self-conscious.

However, a shop assistant soon pointed me in the right direction, where I saw a sign for the repair café in a room off the main seating area. Further signs instructed attendees where to queue for booking items in or out, and I was greeted by two lovely ladies who gave me a form to complete.

The form asked for details of the item and the issue, and I was amazed to see just how many different types of items the volunteers tackle – clothing and textiles, soft toys and dolls, computers and IT, sunglasses and spectacles, mechanicals, jewellery, electricals, and even (on certain days) bicycles.

Once they had booked in my repair, I was told my item was third in the electricals queue and so there would be about 1-1.5 hours before it was ready to collect. This wasn’t a problem, as there was plenty to keep us entertained. First, a trip to Faversham Recreation ground for my toddler to go on the swings. Then, back to Macknade to enjoy an iced latte and sweet treat out on the sun deck.

When I returned, I was showed into the repair room where Alan, my repairer, stood proudly demonstrating the now-working lamp. All that was asked was that I pay £2 to Kev, who had kindly supplied the spare parts needed for the repair (which had included fitting a brand-new plug). I was also given the opportunity to leave a donation to continue the work of the repair café, which I was more than happy to do.

It was such a positive experience and I’m so glad I went to my first repair café! Not only because I now have a working lamp again (saving me easily £50-80) but also because I got to experience the warmth, generosity and enthusiasm of the volunteers that make it all possible. On Wednesday alone, I witnessed them save a hoover, a toastie machine, a rucksack, a necklace, a laptop and lots more, from being thrown into landfill.

Reusing items is so important when it comes to protecting our planet. There is a carbon footprint to everything – from manufacturing and shipping new things, to throwing away and processing our old stuff. Repairing our possessions not only diverts them from landfill, but also means less carbon being used for the creation of new products.

Tips for anyone thinking about visiting a repair café:

1. Get there early: I arrived half an hour after opening time (10:30am) and got my repair done, but I witnessed someone else turn up at 12 who was unfortunately unable to be seen on that day due to high demand.
2. Get in touch in advance: if you want to check whether they’ll be able to look at your specific item (particularly if it’s unusual or unique), email them ahead of time to find out (canterburyrepaircafe@gmail.com or repaircafefaversham@gmail.com)

By Laura Hackett, Climate Education & Carbon Reduction Officer

Header photo by Repair Café – Faversham.