You will hopefully have heard by now that we have launched a Repair Cafe in Worcester. Not only is a Repair Cafe a practical response to issues around landfill, but also a learning experience, and a social event with tea and cake!
Our first event was a great success. We had 30+ repairs done and lots of great feedback from the visitors and our volunteers. We will now host monthly sessions every second Saturday of the month from 11am – 2pm (Repairs to be booked in before 1.30 pm) at our venue Unity House on Stanley Road. We still need more volunteers, funds for equipment and consumables such as glue and nails, and of course people to spread the word and bring us their broken items!
How can you help us?
We need the following:
Repairers – anyone who is handy with a soldering iron, a tube of glue or a sewing machine will be fundamental to making the Repair Cafe function. So if you are skilled in repairing items; small electrical appliances, furniture or textiles… or want to learn, and you would be willing to spend a few hours each month using those skills to help others, then please get in touch.
Greeters and administrators – we need people to help the event run smoothly by greeting visitors, explaining how it works, and pointing them to the right repairers for their item. We would also like to record what items are brought along and how they are repaired.
Catering – help keep the repairers and visitors happy by serving tea and cake! We aim to create a relaxed atmosphere which is as much a social event as a workshop.
To help with any of these, contact Rod at repaircafeworcester@gmail.com
| Who’s involved?
Repair Cafe Worcester is a joint project initiated by Transition Worcester, the Duckworth Worcestershire Trust and other volunteers, with significant support and advice from Malvern Hills Repair Cafe and the ‘Social Sew and Sewers’ group.We look forward to working with them and expanding their success into a wider range of household repairs in Worcester! |
Malvern Hills Repair Cafe has been running successfully for several years, and we are very grateful to them for “lending” us some of their experienced repairers for the first event, and for their advice and support. Visit them on facebook or preferably in real life!
Joining us at the repair cafe will also be the committed volunteers from the ‘Social Sew and Sewers’. Since its launch in February 2014, they have been inspiring locals to have fun repairing, altering or refashioning their clothes whilst doing their bit to prevent textile waste.
They have monthly social sew-in and clothes swap events at the Pump House Environment Centre, Gheluvelt Park. The event offers free access to sewing machines, equipment and expert advice. In addition, the clothes swap welcomes donations of clean, wearable and unwanted clothes and is a great opportunity to refashion your wardrobe.
For more info, follow ‘Social Sew and Sewers’ on Facebook.
Also a big thank you to Worcester Soup who helped us with the initial funding to start our Repair cafe. Worcester Soup is a grassroots crowdfunding event with the following vision:
Worcester Soup will be a safe place where people of all ages and backgrounds can come together to share a common interest in improving their local community.
Worcester Soup will bring people together who want to make a difference, encourage others, have fun, be creative and make connections with their neighbours.
Worcester Soup will encourage and support the development of ideas and projects that will help improve the community, whatever stage they are at.
Worcester Soup will be a catalyst for creating closer personal connections across the City.
To find out more about Worcester Soup please visit their website.
