Repair Café offers a space for connection and education

Once a month, a group of passionate and talented community members gather at Kickstart Arts in New Town and host a free Repair Café, where anyone can bring in faulty or damaged items and give them new life at no cost.  

On the third Saturday of every month, the centre is full of locals lining up with a variety of items including garden tools, ripped clothes, damaged electrics and anything else that requires a refurbish.  

Visitors are also welcome to enjoy free tea, coffee and cake while they wait for their turn.  

Repair Café volunteer Aaron Benham said the idea for the Repair Café originated in the Netherlands during the early 2010s.  

“Everyone is welcome to come in with their broken things and hopefully find a repairer who can breathe new life into that object,” he said.  

“The repairer will always take the person over to their station and talk them through the process of what they are doing.  

“We don’t just want to fix things, we want empower people and give them the tools to tackle similar tasks in future.  

“Education is a big part of our mission and although our repairers are very good at what they do, it’s important that they can share their skills and knowledge with others.”  

Mr Benham said the café was always welcoming of new repairers.  

“We are incredibly grateful for the number and variety of repairers we have but we could always do with more help,” he said.  

“New repairers often reach out on our Facebook page, but often we have people who bring something in to be fixed and discover that their skills could help us as well. 

“These repairers are fantastic community members and genuinely enjoy sharing their skills with others.  

“We would especially love some younger people to come on board and ensure that the expertise we have in this room is passed on to the next generation.”   

The next Repair Café will be held on 15 February at Kickstart Arts in New Town.  

For more information search for Repair Café on Facebook.