Amersham’s first ever Pop-up Repair Café was a huge success and date for second café set for 12 March

With seven experts on hand, Amersham’s first ever Pop-up Repair Café, held on Saturday 12 February at St Michael’s Church, saw some 50 members of the public receive help to repair items from cuckoo clocks to a kid’s much loved teddy bear and precious family trowel.

The cuddly bear, aptly named ‘Teddy’, was brought in by one of the Repair Café’s youngest visitors. His Grandma handmade Teddy for his Mum so the bear has been cherished by two generations and now it’s fixed, Teddy is all set for the next generation. Also brought in for fixing was a trowel which had belonged to the visitor’s father and had great sentimental value.

Taking a lead from the popular BBC series The Repair Shop, the pop-up Repair Café ran for the first time this weekend and is a free meeting place that creates a space where people can learn from experts to repair items for themselves. Locals found tools and materials to help them repair clothes, furniture, electrical appliances, bicycles, appliances and toys and the event was well received by all who attended.

“We throw away vast amounts of stuff, even things with almost nothing wrong which could get a new lease on life after a simple repair,” said Gemma Green, Buckinghamshire Waste Awareness and Education Manager for FCC Environment, the contractor who runs the council’s Household Recycling Centres. “Last year alone 1,261 tonnes of electrical items and 749 tonnes of textiles were recycled at Buckinghamshire Household Recycling Centres, many of these items could have been mended and used again and again.

“TV shows such as Money for Nothing and The Repair Shop are helping to make repair more popular, which is great as repair doesn’t just save you money; you are also helping to reduce the volume of raw materials and energy needed to make new products. Manufacturing new products – and even recycling old ones – causes CO2 to be released, so you will be helping to reduce emissions too!”

The team successfully repaired and/or gave advice on over 50 items during the event. “The repair café project is one which forms part of FCC Environment’s core re-use strategy, targeting prevention; the number one priority in the waste hierarchy. It was amazing to welcome local residents and prevent items being disposed. We look forward to hosting many of these events in Buckinghamshire and see real potential with moving items up the waste hierarchy, avoiding carbon along the way” said Liam Bould, Regional Development Manager for FCC Environment.

Peter Strachan, Buckinghamshire Council’s’ Cabinet Member for Climate Change and Environment, commented: “There is already an established network of repairers across Buckinghamshire such as the seven Repair Cafés, The Men in Sheds and The Repair Barn who all do brilliant work. FCC Environment’s pop-up repair events will greatly benefit those parts of Buckinghamshire that do not currently have a Repair Café in place, sharing mending skills and making it easier for residents to access repair services across the county. I hope the pop-up Repair Café in Amersham is the first of many!”

James Reseigh, FCC Environment HRC Contract Manager for Buckinghamshire added: “What an amazing day we had! FCC Environment and Buckinghamshire Council are grateful to everyone who gave their time to help fix items and pass on their repair skills as without them the pop-up cafés would not have been possible.”

If you would like to volunteer your time as a repairer at the next event on 12 March event or you would like to come along to the next Repair Cafe, please contact Gemma.Green@fccenvironment.co.uk for further details.

Get involved and take part in the ‘Reuse and Repair Revolution’ taking over Buckinghamshire!