The #NottinghamEngland #RepairCafé encouraging communities to ‘make-do and mend’ rather than buy new
By George Palmer-Soady • Feb 10, 2025
"The sessions teach valuable repairing skills such as knitting, sewing, and woodworking, hoping to encourage people to fix their broken items in their free time
"For one weekend every other month, the upstairs of a church hall in a quiet Nottingham suburb transforms into a fully operating repair café for broken bikes, jewellery, furniture, clothing, and appliances.
"A group of dedicated volunteers sew, mend and cobble together old and worn-out items in the hope of encouraging people to reuse rather than buy new.
"The #NottinghamFixers run these regular ‘bring and fix’ sessions in the #SherwoodMethodistChurch. Residents are invited to bring along broken belongings and have a cup of tea in the entirely volunteer-ran café.
"The group was set up in 2017 and says it’s the original repair shop in the county. Each member is skilled in a specific area of mending – sewing, metalwork, woodwork – and organisers say they are able to fix the majority of items brought in for free.
"Volunteers have noticed an increase in demand as the cost of living crisis has soared. Sarah Maloy, the events organiser, says with less disposable income to spend, she has noticed more of an appetite to reuse and fix old items – saving money and reducing waste.
Sarah Maloy, the events organiser, says with less disposable income to spend, there is more of an appetite to reuse and fix old items
"She said: 'We always see a big demand, particularly for electrical items. They are the things that are the most expensive and break most easily – things people can’t afford to get repaired'.
"The sessions also teach valuable repairing skills such as knitting, sewing, and woodworking, hoping to encourage people to fix broken items in their free time.
"They also act as a space for people to socialise, share a brew and flex their skills, with people regularly taking on volunteering shifts.
"Pamela Davis works in the NHS and has recently started doing sewing shifts at the ‘bring and fix’ sessions, having stitched in her free time for years. She believes by volunteering at the events she is sharing the importance of fixing items rather than binning them – a belief she believes has been lost in recent years.
Pamela Davis works in the NHS and has recently started doing sewing shifts at the ‘bring and fix’ sessions having done it for years as a hobby.
"'I was brought up that way,' she said.
"'Our mother made our clothes – her mother knitted a lot of their clothes. It’s that make-do and mend philosophy that was in the Second World War. It’s drummed into you that you don’t waste anything and it’s a wonderful feeling helping people'.
"There are more than 3,000 repair cafes across the world, with around 600 currently running in the UK. They have existed since 2009 – when the first café was opened in Amsterdam – but have recently shot up in popularity due to the well-known BBC TV show ‘The Repair Shop’.
"In the program, broken or damaged family heirlooms are fixed and brought back to life. There are also repair cafes in #Beeston, #Keyworth, and #WestBridgford run by different groups. The next repair shop session is on April 12 at #Sherwood Methodist Church."
https://nottstv.com/the-nottingham-repair-cafe-encouraging-communities-to-make-do-and-mend-rather-than-buy-new/
#RepairCafesUK #RepairCafes #FixIt #SolarPunkSunday #SolarPunk #RightToRepair #BuildingCommunity #BringAndFix
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