What can you do with a broken toaster, a coffee table with a wobbly leg, or a sweater full of moth holes? Bin them? No way!
The Ellesmere Repair Café is holding its first Repair Café in Ellesmere Town Hall on Saturday 1st April between 1pm to 4pm and you are invited to go along.
A group of volunteer fixers will be available to help make all possible repairs, free of charge. People visiting the Repair Café are invited to bring along their broken items from home, including toasters, lamps, hair dryers, clothes, bikes, toys and crockery. Anything broken (other than microwaves or white goods) is welcome.
Anne Wignall, Ellesmere’s mayor, said, “A group of us were very aware of a successful scheme running in Oswestry. We felt it was something we could and should bring to our town. We are very lucky that some experts are coming from the Oswestry group to help us with this first Café. We hope very much that our own Cafe will become a monthly event.”
In common with other repair cafes which are run all around the country, it is expected that most items will be repairable by the volunteer fix-it specialists.
Suzanne Hutchinson – a keen inaugural member of the group – said, “Experience from long-established groups shows that the fix-it-eers almost always have the necessary know-how!”
By promoting repairs, Ellesmere’s Repair Café wants to help reduce waste going to landfill.
Amanda Weeks, chair of the group, explained, “Every year, we throw away huge amounts in every town, including Ellesmere, even items which have very little wrong with them, and which could easily be used again after a simple repair.
“Many people don’t feel confident to repair things themselves. Sometimes we forget that we can have things repaired, instead of using up valuable resources by buying new items. As well as being better for the environment, our Repair Café aims to save people money, share precious repair skills that are being lost, and bring the local community together at a low-key, enjoyable event.”
Delicious refreshments will be available all afternoon, too. ‘In many places, the Repair Cafes have become a welcome opportunity to meet up for a drink and a home-made piece of cake. Who knows, you might learn some new skills at the same time!’ said Amanda Weeks.
“We don’t have Jay Blades or Suzie Fletcher from TV’s popular Repair Shop programme, but we do have some highly skilled local experts. So do come along to meet them!” said Anne Wignall.
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