Help Establish an East Cambridgeshire Repair Cafe

Working with the help of Cambridge Carbon Footprint, East Cambridgeshire Climate Action Network (CAN) is keen to build upon the existing network of Repair Cafes across Cambridgeshire, including those in Soham and Burwell – in order to develop this network further in more towns and villages across East Cambridgeshire in particular Littleport, Haddenham and Witchford as well as re-establishing the Repair Cafe in Ely. Cambridge Carbon Footprint have resources to help a local community set-up their own local Repair Cafe.

Repair Cafes are community events that match people who need items repaired with people who like fixing things. The international Repair Cafe movement began in Amsterdam, and now there are over two thousand around the world. Repair Cafes are non-commercial and the repairs are done free-of-charge, although voluntary donations are very welcome. There are no promises and no guarantees, but if something can be saved the repairers will do their very best. Repairers are always keen to teach visitors how to do the repair themselves, or at least have them watch while they do it. The items brought along for repair can include clothes, furniture, electrical appliances, bicycles, crockery, tools, toys, and much more.

We throw away vast amounts of stuff. Even things with almost nothing wrong, and which could get a new lease on life after a simple repair. The trouble is, lots of people have forgotten that they can repair things themselves. Especially younger generations no longer know how to do that. Knowing how to make repairs is a skill quickly lost. This is a threat to a sustainable future and to the circular economy, in which raw materials can be reused again and again.

The Cambridgeshire Repair Cafe Network is run by Cambridge Carbon Footprint who support new and established Repair Cafes in Cambridgeshire. They hold regular ‘How to run a Repair Cafe in your community’ training sessions, help to link new Repair Cafes to local experienced repairers, lend out tools, facilitate repairer skillshares and help with things like insurance. The Network has been generously supported by Draper Tools, Mackays of Cambridge, Sentec a Xylem brand, 42 Technology, Cambridge City Council, South Cambridgeshire District Council & Cambridgeshire County Council.

The Cambridgeshire Repair Cafe Network are always keen to make new contacts and help new Repair Cafes, so please get in touch if you’re interested in helping people to get things fixed either directly with the Cambridgeshire Repair Cafe Network or via Peter Bates at East Cambridgeshire Climate Action Network.

Also visit the Repair Cafe Organisers Hub