Ripon starts its own Repair Cafe

At St Wilfrid’s Community Centre, on Trinity Lane, Ripon HG4 2AB on Saturday 12th July, everything centres on making repairs. Starting from 11am and ending at 2pm on the second Saturday of every other month, various volunteer repair experts will be available to help make all possible repairs, free of charge. Tools and materials will also be on hand. People visiting the Repair Café will bring along their broken items from home. Many items such toasters, ornaments, lamps, hair dryers, clothes, bikes, toys, crockery, jewellery ... anything that is broken is welcome. And the volunteer repair experts should be able to fix it. The Repair Café specialists almost always have the know-how.

By promoting repairs, Ripon Repair Cafe wants to help reduce mountains of waste. This is absolutely necessary, according to Laura Sharpe. "We throw away piles of stuff in the UK. Even things which practically have nothing wrong with them, and which could easily be used again after a simple repair. Unfortunately, many people have forgotten that they can have things repaired. Ripon Repair Café wants to change all that."

Ripon Repair Café can also put members of the local community in touch with each other in a new way. And to discover that a lot of know-how and practical skills can be found close to home.

If you repair a bike, a CD player or a pair of trousers together with a previously unfamiliar neighbour, you look at that person in a different light the next time you run into them on the street. Jointly making repairs can lead to new friendships in the neighbourhood.

Laura points out that repairs can save money and resources, and can help minimise CO2 emissions. “But above all, Ripon Repair Café just wants to show how much fun repairing things can be, and how easy it often is.”

If you would like more information, or to get involved, please email [email protected]

Repair Café International Foundation

The Repair Café concept arose in Amsterdam, the Netherlands, in 2009, and was formulated by Martine Postma, at the time a journalist/publicist. In 2010, she started the Repair Café International Foundation (see Repaircafe.org/en). This foundation provides professional support to local groups around the world wishing to start their own Repair Café. The foundation also supports the Repair Café in Ripon.

Ripon Repair Café is intending to organise the Café from the 12th July 2025 on a regular basis in St Wilfrid’s Community Centre.

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