A blog by our friends at Stitched Up
We’ve launched a brand new Repair Café! The Boggart Hole Clough Repair Café is a collaboration between Stitched Up, the In Our Nature Programme and Lakeside CIC to bring the right to repair to the community of Blackley. Come to the Lakeside Café between 10-12, have a brew, and enjoy the beautiful view of the lake.
The first Repair Café was in Amsterdam in 2009, and now there are over 2,500 running worldwide. Volunteers are really the star of the show at Repair Cafés, so here’s 5 reasons why it’s awesome to volunteer at a Repair Café.
1. It saves money
Repair Cafés are run by volunteers, who love repairing and keeping items in use for longer. Instead of buying a new item to replace something broken, helping people mend their stuff for free saves a tonne of money. With the ongoing cost of living crisis, it’s more important than ever that our money goes as far as possible. By volunteering at a Repair Café, you can directly help your community save money.
2. Opportunity to skill share and learn skills
At a Repair Cafe, people might bring broken electronics, textiles, homewares or even bikes. With the knowledge of our volunteers, they will learn to fix these items so they can remain in circulation for longer. You don’t need to be an expert to volunteer! If you know how to sew on a button, or how to tighten a screw, Repair Cafes would really benefit from your time and skills. The great thing about the skill sharing aspect of Repair Cafes is that everyone’s knowledge is collectivised for the greater good. Plus, you’ll likely learn new skills from fellow volunteers which you can take forward in your own life.
3. Play a part in your community
Volunteering with people in your community has a profoundly positive impact on one’s own wellbeing, as well as helping out others. The National Council for Voluntary Organisations (NCVO) published a report on volunteering, where they found that nine out of ten volunteers said they had met friends through volunteering. Similarly, around two thirds of volunteers agreed that volunteering made them feel less isolated. Playing a part in your community through volunteering is fantastic for both your wellbeing, and that of other participants.
4. It’s cool to see inside broken objects
This one is best explained by a photo. Look at how cool this hedge trimmer looks when you get to see its cross section! There’s always something interesting to look at and get involved in at a Repair Cafe, and no two months will be the same!
5. Make a positive environmental impact
When an item is broken, it can be hard to dispose of sustainably. Charity shops can’t take broken things, and many items have a number of different materials that are hard to separate and recycle.
Repairing items means that the embodied resources that went into that item are not wasted. Every item repaired makes a difference. For example, by keeping your clothing for an extra nine months, instead of buying new, you reduce their environmental impact by 20-30%. Also, encouraging a new attitude to broken things through Repair Cafes helps your community act more sustainably.
How to volunteer
Get in touch with Boggart Hole Clough repair café:
Email: hello@stitchedup.coop
Phone: 0161 881 7141
Ask your local repair café if they need volunteers. Find your local on the repair directory
