Reuse it, don’t lose it: Kenilworth's very own Repair Cafe gets a funding boost

Reuse it, don’t lose it - that is the message from the Kenilworth Repair Café which will grow thanks to a funding boost.

The full list of 69 projects set to receive funding from Warwickshire County Council’s Green Shoots Community Climate Change Fund was announced on July 30 and the Kenilworth Repair Café was one of a number of projects funded for under £5k with a total approved amount of £800.

The Green Shoots funding will enable a Repair Café for the Kenilworth area to grow, providing a focal point for items to be repaired and reused.

The café will meet on the third Saturday afternoon of every month at the United Reformed Church in Kenilworth. Here, personal and portable items can be brought for repair, to extend their useful life and avoid them entering the waste system and potentially landfill.

Monthly repair cafes have previously been held in Leamington, Rugby and Coventry and the Kenilworth Repair Café will be held on a different Saturday to complement these cafes so that repair facilities are available across Warwickshire every week.

All sorts of items can be brought in ranging from clothes and accessories needing a stitch or simple repair to furniture and homewares to toys and electrical/electronic items that perhaps need a more technical approach.

Repair Cafes are part of an International movement and the Kenilworth Repair Café will support and reflect these objectives and ethos.

Information gained from Repair Cafes around the country has shown that 80 per cent of repairs involve electronic or electrical goods, that would otherwise be discarded of replaced.

Speaking on behalf of the Kenilworth Repair Café Project, Sharon Maxted said: “Our very first dress rehearsal event in August was a great success.

"Our volunteers had the opportunity to get to know each other and find out what skill sets they each have.

"The public came to chat and see what they could bring for repair to our full launch in September.

“We were able to mend a number of items, including a much-loved Mary Poppins umbrella, a stool and various electrical items, saving them all from landfill.

"One lady was taught how to repair her bracelet while others were given advice on what part to order and will either repair the item themselves or bring it back in September.

“The feedback forms from the public was all very positive, even when a repair couldn’t be completed.

"The volunteers all felt that they had enjoyed themselves demonstrating and sharing their skills.

“Setting up the Repair Café is clearly a valuable activity and will be a benefit to Kenilworth and surroundings.

"Our ethos of reducing landfill, fostering the idea of repair and encouraging community participation has already proved positive at the first trial event.

"We’re looking forward to the second more widely-publicised Café on September 18.”

Cllr Heather Timms, portfolio holder for heritage, culture and the environment, added: “At Warwickshire County Council, we are committed to a community-powered Warwickshire and initiatives like the Repair Café are a shining example of this ambition.

“One of the major contributors to climate change and carbon footprints is the throwaway nature of society.

"All too often, it has become standard practice to throw away goods, particularly electrical equipment, and replace them long before the end of their working lives.

"Many of these items will end up in landfill which can be avoided as often they can be repaired with just a little bit of know-how.

“The Repair Café in Kenilworth aims to give people the skills to repair some of the most commonly disposed of items to prevent them ending up in landfill.

"This project is a simple but powerful demonstration of why the Green Shoots Fund was created and I look forward to seeing it develop and turn the tide on our throwaway culture.”

For more information about Kenilworth repair café go to: https://www.repaircafe-kenilworth.org/