Nunhead Repair Cafe - reviving broken belongings and building community spirit

Did you know that every year, the average person in the UK throws away about 400 kg of waste - about 7 times their bodyweight! Some of that waste represents broken household goods, from toasters to toys and textiles, that could be fixed and remain in use.

The Repair Cafe Nunhead is a monthly community event where anyone can bring broken items to be fixed for free by a volunteer, saving them from landfill.

Rather than dropping off your item then returning to pick it up, you are asked to sit with your allocated volunteer so you can see how they mend your item. Part of the aim of the cafe is to help people build the skills and confidence to learn how to fix things themselves.

I took my Dualit toaster there last weekend and I was introduced to the lovely Riccardo, who quickly got it working again. Result! And as I looked around the room and saw people chatting away and generally having a lovely time, I realised the cafe isn’t just helping restore the lost art of mending things - it’s also helping to build community spirit.

So next time your printer starts playing up, or your kettle looks like it’s gone kaput, check to see if there’s a repair cafe in your area and if there is, make sure you get yourself down there!