Beccy Whittle explores some exciting developments that are already happening in the repair scene in North Lancashire and beyond, and how you could get involved.
Every year, many everyday objects from clothes to toys, furniture and electronics get thrown away because they are broken. Unfortunately, throwing things away creates more problems than it solves. There’s the financial cost involved in buying a new replacement item, the waste generated by the item’s disposal (yes, even WITH recycling) and the larger amount of waste that comes from the manufacture of its replacement in hazardous and poorly paid conditions.
Click this image to read an encouraging repair story from Lancaster and Morecambe Makers on the FoodFutures blog.
Thankfully, there’s an alternative – repair!
Repairing things helps us save money, take back control of our relationship to everyday items, combat the waste mountain and build community enterprise. Here in the UK, there’s a whole emerging repair movement which includes free community repair events and skillshares as well as local businesses, social enterprises and, of course, the popular TV series The Repair Shop.
Today, we’re looking at the different forms that such initiatives can take in the hope that this might inspire you to think about what could be possible in YOUR area!
First up, there’s the community-led repair movement which focuses on the provision of free community spaces where householders can bring broken items and be supported by expert volunteers to fix them on the premises. Repairs are free, though donations are encouraged and, in addition to saving items from landfill, there is a focus on empowering people through providing them with the knowledge, skills and inspiration needed to go out and spread the word about fixing in their communities.
Today, there are community repair projects all over the world, including a number here in the North West: there are currently initiatives in Kendal and South Lakes, Cartmel and Grange over Sands and, this year, the Closing Loops project has been running monthly skill share workshops on topics including bicycle, small appliance and IT repair. Lancaster and Morecambe Makers regularly support people with all kinds of repairs during their weekly open evenings.
Bike repairers at a skill-share hosted by the Closing Loops project at Lancaster Sustainability Hub in January 2024
Support, advice and useful templates for those wanting to set up their own repair cafe as well as details of local groups can be found through groups such as the UK based Community Repair Network and the international Repair Cafe websites.
What does it do to the economy?
People often worry that community repair projects will take trade away from repair professionals. In fact, the reverse is true. Repair cafes help raise awareness about alternatives to our throwaway mentality. And such projects can even actively drive trade TOWARDS existing repair businesses. For example, Brighton Repair Cafe has found sewing machines to be time consuming and challenging to repair in free sessions, so those with broken machines are directed to the local repair professional.
There are also some fabulous examples of projects like The Edinburgh Remakery that have combined free community repair sessions with the establishment of a social enterprise, generating income from providing more complex repairs for customers, refurbishing and selling on donated items and offering talks and workshops for corporate clients. Other initiatives have set up as charities, an example being The Restart Project, which aims to tackle the climate emergency by making electronics work for people, for the planet, and for longer.
What does the repair scene look like in the place where you live?
If you’re based in North Lancashire this is a great time to join the conversation as the Closing Loops project is launching the second round of Pots of Possibility grant funding in September. One of the themes the fund looks to support is ‘repairing things currently going to waste’ and, to get the creative juices flowing ahead of the grant launch, the Closing Loops team is hosting a session All About Repair. Here, you’ll find out about successful repair projects happening around the country and be invited to collaborate on ideas for getting zero-waste repair projects up and running in North Lancashire.
Find out more and book your place here.
