The Repair Cafe

Repair Cafes are community events that match people who ‘need stuff fixed‘ with people who ‘like fixing things‘.

Repair Cafes are completely non-commercial. There are no promises and no guarantees, but if something can be saved the repairers will do everything they can to do so. Repairers are also keen to teach visitors how to do the repair themselves and encourage people to watch (and ask questions!) while they do it.

Cambridgeshire has a large number of Cafes, all part of the Cambridgeshire Repair Cafe Network (CRCN). CRCN is a partnership between Cambridge Carbon Footprint, Transition Cambridge, South Cambridgeshire District Council, Chris Moller of Cottenham Repair Cafe and Chris Lee of Royston Repair Cafe. The Cafes are supported by Mackays and Draper Tools, who supply extensive tools boxes and gear to ensure successful repair rates of around 65%.

Why repair?

A staggering 44.7 million metric tonnes of e-waste were generated globally in 2016. This is equal in weight to almost nine Great Pyramids of Giza or 4,500 Eiffel Towers!

Experts estimate this increased by 17% (52.2 million metric tonnes) in the five years to 2021, making it the fastest growing part of the world’s domestic waste stream.

UN Global E-Waste Monitor Report

What kind of things can be repaired?

• small electrical or electronic appliances
• clothing or material in need of repair
• toys
• lamps
• small pieces of furniture
• jewellery
• clocks
• watches

The manual might be difficult to understand… And some things may just be dirty and need a good clean, or need sharpening… The whole point is to keep items out of landfill if at all possible.

PLEASE NOTE that it is not the aim of the Repair Cafe to take work away from local companies. Some items, for instance bikes and mobile phones, are better dealt with by local businesses.

Arrangements

To avoid disappointment, repairs should be booked in advance for a specific time slot. Walk-ins on the day are also catered for, but you may have to wait for an available slot. Contact Cafe Bookings on repair.cafe.zcc@gmail.com or text/phone 07903-006789.

On arrival, you sign in and are shown to the waiting area until your time slot, when you are taken to the appropriate repairer.

The repairer sits with the person bringing the item and explains what they are doing and why.

Repairs should take about 40 mins.

And a real cafe is available throughout, serving tea, coffee, soft drinks and homemade cakes!  Just remember to bring some change…