Anyone can start one in their neighbourhood and the good news is there’s funding available to help you. The Renew Community Fund is open for applications until 6th August.
Here are some more tips to help you get started:
Visit your local repair café
It’s really useful to experience first hand how a repair café is run and see the processes involved, like signing people in and allocating the person who does the fix. Repairers are a friendly bunch and helping is in their nature, they’ll be happy to answer your questions about starting your own café. Send them a message and pop down.
Find a space
You’ll need somewhere that can fit in several repair stations. Church halls, community centres and council buildings are popular venues for repair cafes. Most run once a month for 2 hours, often on a weekend morning. It might be worth checking the dates of other repair cafes in your area so you don’t clash.
Get funding
There are a few costs involved in starting a repair café. On average, you’ll need around £1,500 to cover the first year. Things like venue hire, insurance, small bits of equipment, printing posters and advertising on social media will need paying for. The Renew Community fund offers grants between £1,000-£20,000, just make sure you apply before 6th August!
Find volunteers
Volunteers are the heart of repair cafes; they give their time and expertise every month. Social media – especially Facebook – is a great place to put a call out for volunteers. You could also put posters on community noticeboards and at libraries. Remember to explain what skills you’re after; it’s not just people who do the fixing, the front of house people who check people in are vital members of every repair café team.
Advertise your repair café
Create a free Facebook page for your new repair café so people know when and where it is. Share the info on local neighbourhood group pages and ask people to spread the word. You can also put physical posters up around the neighbourhood to tell people it’s happing. Get added to the free Repair Directory where all the Greater Manchester cafes are listed.
Now you’re ready to join the repair revolution and help your community keep the stuff they love for longer!
