A North Hampshire repair café took part in a nationwide initiative which encourages people to reuse and repair their old items and counteract throwaway culture.
The May edition of the Baughurst Repair Café was part of The Big Fix 2024, a scheme that was first implemented by Devon County Council in 2020.
This year, after tremendous success in Devon and other participating regions over the past four years, more than 100 repair cafés registered to take part with one aim in mind: “To fix and breathe new life into as many broken things as possible.”
On Sunday, May 19, there were more than 100 visitors to Heath End Village Hall, taking nearly 80 items that needed to be repaired or renovated.
Baughurst Repair Café member Rosie Harle said: “We are proud to have so many experienced and talented repairers who, seemingly, can turn their hands to many different skills.
“Items that were repaired ranged from broken furniture, articles of clothing, electrical components such as vacuum cleaners, grass strimmers, computers and stereos, as well as many garden tools and kitchen knives sharpened.
“There was a very strong sign that spring had come – not for us the first daffodils, as this session saw six bikes come in needing the repair skills of our volunteer Keith.”
The May repair café also saw the return of one excited lady who had left her twin granddaughters’ quad bike at the last session in April.
She was thrilled to find the bike all repaired and working well and was planning to invite the twins over that afternoon so they could ride their bike once again.
Another visitor, Sara Hanson, brought in her much-loved NutriBullet, used every day to make smoothies, soups and hummus.
She said she’d already had to replace an earlier one as she couldn’t find anywhere to have it repaired and without the Baughurst Repair Café, this one, too, would’ve had to be trashed and another one bought.
Rosie added: “Some of the comments we receive as visitors leave the repair café are amazing.
“People are truly grateful that we have a neighbourhood resource that saves so many items going to landfill and promotes the life of items that have been in families forever.”
