We hosted an event for International Repair Day, which consisted of a small community of fixers offering their time, knowledge and skills to our local community, collaboratively fixing broken objects.

As a business unsatisfied with the lack of longevity with products on the market, we felt compelled to share our ethos on repairing and not replacing the things you own. We fixed kettles, toasters, a vacuum cleaner, a pressure washer, a wax seal heater, a radio, bikes and many more. We even had a Bilge Pump from our local Londoner, Vinny, who lives on a canal boat on Regent’s Canal. The pump removes water from the bottom of the boat to stop it from sinking. 

The intention is to empower consumers to feel like they can repair their broken objects in order to reduce the amount of material that goes to landfill. This will reduce your carbon footprint and the cost to replace an object. These events are an opportunity for an exchange as they can help bridge barriers between people through a common goal. Young and old will come together to share skills and impart knowledge on each other. Objects often carry meaning and can be conversation starters which also help to bridge between groups. 

 

We want to thank our fixers, Steve, a retired electrical engineer. Lukas a software developer who has a knack for fixing bicycles, Alex a product designer previously Dyson and Jacob who used his knowledge of robotics to take apart a radio and put it back together. 

Those in attendance had a wonderful time, some lovely conversation and left with the knowledge of new repair skills. We’re keen to throw one in the new year after the success of our first repair cafe. We would love to see some of the same faces again and would implore anyone who has skills and knowledge to join in and volunteer.