If you have damaged or broken household items that need fixing or fabric items that need repairing, why not come along to our next repair cafe  in Richmond?

The event is on Sunday 19th April 2026, at the Town Hall. Doors open at 9.45am and close at 12.30pm. It's free to attend and as well as the skilled volunteer repairers, there will be a cafe with tea, coffee and delicious home baked cakes. Even if you haven't got anything to repair this time, you are welcome to come in for a cuppa and cake.

Guests and local charity Richmondshire Landscape Trust  will also be in attendance. Come and find out what they are doing to look after valued green spaces across the town, for today and for future generations.

This is the last repair cafe in Richmond until late autumn, so act now to get those items and clothes that you need for the summer repaired now! 

Updated 13th  April 2026

Four new volunteers helped to ensure the success of the latest Richmondshire Repair cafe last Sunday (8th March).  

Over three quarters of all  the items brought in for repair were successfully FIXED !

Gill and Brookes worked tirelessly and cheerfully to ensure that the cafe area was friendly and welcoming, dispensing tea, coffee and fabulous home baked cakes to all comers. Over in the repairs area, new volunteers Steve and Aleesha impressed with their skills at the general and jewellery repair stations.

Aleesha excelled as the cafe's newest and youngest repairer, helping to repair six necklaces brought in by Patricia Illingworth. Commenting on her successful work, Patricia said “I love this necklace; I haven’t been able to wear it for years”.

Experienced volunteer Sue Stokes, from Bainbridge, said, "I have been working with Aleesha to enhance her jewellery repairing skills.  She has been a quick learner, and has proved to be a great assistant repairer". 

If you would like to volunteer at a local repair cafe, please contact valerie@richmondshireclimateaction.org.

The next repair cafe will be on Sunday 19th April at the Town Hall in Richmond.  Visit the repair cafe webpage to find out more.

updated 15th Mar 26

Could you be our next Repair Cafe volunteer?

We are now urgently looking for new volunteers to join us, to help make our successful Repair Cafe even better !

You could be managing or helping out in the cafe area on the day, welcoming visitors and registering their items for repair, or having a go at repairing things - whatever you have a skill for fixing that you are willing to share! 

If you cannot help on the day, there are opportunities behind the scenes as well, especially if you have a talent for publicity and/or time for a few simple but essential admin tasks.

Our next repair cafe dates are Sunday 8th March and Sunday 19th April. Scroll down this page to get an idea of what goes on. 

Inspired to join our friendly and welcoming team? Then  please contact valerie@richmondshirecliamteaction.org to find out more.  We'd love to hear from you !

Posted 9th Feb 2026

Almost a hundred people supported our bustling Richmond Repair Cafe and Eco Fair on Sunday. 

Visitors enjoyed browsing the eye catching displays of local environmental groups such as Richmond Landscape Trust and Richmond Methodist School Eco Team, whilst technical experts shared information and advice about solar panels, home insulation and reducing air pollution. A seed share stall also attracted lots of green fingered attention.

Alongside the Eco Fair, an enthusiastic panel of volunteer fixers tackled over thirty items brought in for repair.                                                                                                           
Commenting afterwards, the organiser Valerie said, “a big thank you to all the volunteers and everyone who braved a dreary Sunday morning to support the event. I'm sure everyone found something to inspire them to be more eco-conscious this year, and discovered something new about all the groups that are helping to care for our local environment”.

The event raised over £160, to fund future events. The next event will be a Repair Cafe at Richmond Town Hall on Sunday 8th March. Please check back later for all the latest news.

Scroll down to see more pics and stories from the day.

Continued local support and the efforts of our enthusiastic and skilled local volunteers on 19th October resulted in another great morning at the Town Hall  for everyone. About 30 items were brought in for repair, of which about two thirds were successfully fixed and saved from landfill.

The event also hosted a community litter pick, which attracted passionate locals as well as the kind efforts of a couple  who were holidaying in the area. And for added seasonal interest, we hosted a 'Know your funghi' display, kindly curated by Keith.

Thanks to everyone who is continuing to support the event, whether you are bringing in repairs, volunteering, making cakes. All donations received on the day will go towards the costs of putting on future events..  

If you've still got items at home that need repair, we'll be back soon with another event. To be the first to find out where and when, please email valerie@richmondshireclimateaction.org to be added to the mailing list.

And if you like fixing things and meeting new people, perhaps you could be our next volunteer? If so, contact valerie@richmondshireclimateaction.org for more info.

Browse our picture gallery below for a taste of what went on.

Posted: 20th Oct 2025

Our next repair cafe is on Sunday 14th September 2025 at Richmond Town Hall, from 9.45am to 12.30pm. Hope to see you there!

Bring along your broken or damaged household goods and one of our volunteer repairers will have a go at fixing them!

Popular items are vacuum cleaners, lamps, clocks, clothes, bags, ceramics and soft toys, but don't let that put you off bringing in other items - our repairers love new challenges !

Please remember to bring your power cable if you are bringing in an electrical item.  Unfortunately, we do not have our skilled sharpener Richie this time, but look out for knife/blade sharpening at a future event.

The enthusiastic and skilled fixers confirmed so far for this event are:

Ian, Mark, Andrew, Don and Pete - electrical, electronic, mechanical and general fixing

Sue - jewellery and sewing repairs

If you would enjoy helping out as a repairer, cake maker or meeting and greeting people, please scroll down to find out what's involved in being a volunteer.

To be the first to find out about future repair cafes, email valerie@richmondshireclimateaction.org to be added to our mailing list.

Updated 8th Sept 25. 

All sorts of broken and damaged items were brought in for repair at our latest repair cafe at Colburn on Saturday 10th May. Over 80% of all the items were successfully repaired by our skilled team of volunteer fixers. Tasks included sharpening a whole drawerful of kitchen knives for the village hall that was hosting us!

Electrical items, such  as a power drill, vacuum cleaner and garden scarifier were the most popular items brought in, followed by clothing and fabric repairs.

A big thank you to everyone who attended and for the £68 of donations that were received on the day, which will go towards the costs of organising the event. 

An even bigger thank you to all the volunteer repairers, cake bakers and meet and greet team, without which the eveny wouldn't have been possible.

If you would like to be notified of when our next repair cafe will be taking place or are interested in volunteering with us, please e-mail valerie@richmondshirelimateaction.org

Posted: 12th May 2025

At least 6 enthusiastic volunteer repairers will be on hand to help bring your broken and damaged items back to life on Saturday 10th May, from 9.45am - 12.30pm at Colburn Village Hall.

Repairers Andrew, Mark, Don and Pete will be happy to have a go at fixing mechanical, electrical and electronic items and general household items such as clocks, picture frames and pottery. 

Sue is looking forward to tackling sewing and jewellery repairs and Richie will  be on hand to sharpen small gardening tools and knives.

All electrical items will be PAT (electrical safety) tested before and after they are repaired, for everyone's safety. Thanks to Simon of Colburn Community Support for generously donating his PAT testing machine, and for Tony and Pete for operating it on the  day.

See you there !

Posted: 8th May 2025 

Our next repair cafe is venturing to pastures new ! We will be at Colburn Village Hall on Saturday 10th May, from 9.45am - 12.30 pm.

Bring along your household items that need repairing and our volunteers will have a go at fixing them !

You can bring clothes and fabric items, jewellery, electrical, electronic and mechanical items, as well as gardening tools.

As always, there will be tea, coffee and delicious home baked cakes available throughout the event.

Check back here for more up to date information a few days before the event - we look forward to seeing you there !

The event is free, though any donations are welcome and will help us to fund putting on future events.

Posted: 19th April 2025

Our next repair cafe is taking place this coming weekend at Richmond Town Hall on Sunday 23rd March 2025.

Doors open at 9.45am and last repairs will be accepted at about 12.15pm. As always, there will be tea, coffee and delicious home baked cakes available throughout the event.

Confirmed local volunteer repairers include :

Ian, Mark, Pete, Don & Andrew - household electrical  and electronic goods, computers and general repairs

Verona and Sue - fabric and sewing repairs + jewellery

Richie - small garden tools and knife sharpening + general repairs

Our Meet & Greet team includes volunteers Elaine,  Frank, Valerie, Barbara, Margaret and Chris.

Don't forget your power cable if you are bringing an electrical item for repair.

Thanks for your support and we lookforward to welcoming you soon !

Updated 20th March 2025

Local people of all ages took the opportunity to check out the new community shed at Leyburn on Saturday 16th November, as it played host to the Richmondshire Repair Cafe. 

Items big and small, from bicycles to bracelets,  were brought in to the cafe. Over 70% of the items were successfully fixed by the enthusiastic volunteers, with delicious home made cakes, tea and coffee helping to make the morning go smoothly.

Commenting on Facebook, Charlotte Harper said, "The workshop (community shed) is superb and as for the volunteers..... what a team of wonderful, skilled people. Not only was my item fixed (like new again) but I was upskilled to look after it better in the future".

The repair cafe was organised by Richmondshire Climate Action Partnership, in collaboration with Leyburn Community Shed,  to encourage people to think about repairing and reusing household items, so that less waste goes to landfill, and fewer resources are used to make new things.  The generous donations on the day will help to fund the next event (Sunday 19th January at Richmond School) and support the Community Shed as it prepares to officially open.

Further information about the next repair cafe will be posted on www.richmondshireclimateaction.org/repair-cafe . If you are interested in joining the team of friendly volunteer fixers, contact valerie@richmondshireclimateaction.org, and if you want to find out more about the community shed, email leyburncommunityshed@gmail.com .

Posted: 18th Nov 24

If so, why not join our skilled team of community volunteer fixers?

We are always looking for more people to join our friendly and enthusiastic team. Its an opportunity to showcase your talents in an informal and friendly setting.

We would love to hear from you if you have any repairing skills to share, whether its woodwork, sewing, jewellery computers, electrical items, blade sharpening, bikes or any other fixing skills. 

If you would like to get involved in the repair cafe, either as a repairer, front of house or behind the scenes, do get in touch with valerie@richmondshireclimateaction.org. 

updated : 7th Jan 26

Following a successful event last year, our next repair cafe will be on Sunday 18th January 2026 at Richmond School 6th Form Hall, as part of a wider FREE Eco Fair. 

Repair cafe

There will be our usual panel of enthusiastic volunteer repairers waiting to fix your broken or damaged household items, and a pop-up cafe with tea, coffee and delicious home baked cakes!

Things that can be brought in for repair include household electrical, mechanical  and electronic goods, e.g. lamps, worktop kitchen appliances, clocks, toys, computers, picture frames, etc. Also,  we can have a go at bringing your valued clothes, soft furnishings, bags, soft toys and jewellery* back to life!

*our jewellery repairer Sue hopes to be back in March. 

Eco Fair

A range of stalls and displays for the Eco Fair give you the chance to find out more about greening (and saving money on) your home energy, reducing your waste and recycling and reducing air pollution. Also come along to discover what local people are doing to take care of  our local environment, and to find out how YOU can get involved.

UPDATED Confirmed stalls and displays for the Eco Fair include:

• Richmond Landscape Trust 

• Campaign to Protect Rural England (CPRE)

• Community Seed Exchange and growing advice (more info here).

• Save Our Swale

• RSPB (Richmondshire & Hambleton)

• Energi North East (solar panel installer)

• W T  Hall Builders (Certified Passive House  Tradesperson)

• North Yorkshire Rotters - Waste Prevention and Recycling

• North Yorkshire Council - Air Quality/Clean Air Night

• Richmond Methodist School - school uniform give-away

For further details, or to be added to our repair cafe mailing list, please email valerie@richmondshireclimateaction.org

Look forward to seeing you there !

Posted : 7th Jan 26, updated 16th Jan 26

Our event is in the Sixth Form Hall at Richmond School, Darlington Road, Richmond.  The hall is at the town end of the school site set well back from the main Richmond Road frontage. 

If you are coming by car, please enter the school site using the one way system and then proceed to the town end of the site, around the side and rear of the one and two storey buildings at that end to the car park at the rear of the houses. From there, you can walk alongside the green mesh fence and around the side of the Hall to the hall's main entrance.. Note that the Main Sixth Form Centre entrance (at the main school building end) will not be open.

If you are walking, you will need to walk along the outside of the green mesh fence at the town end of the school site, and follow it round past the overflow car park, and then follow the directions as above.  Alternatively, you can access the hall main entrance directly from The Crescent.

Look out for the arrows and 'this way' signs. 

We look forward to seeing you there !!

Join us for our next repair cafe (+ community litter pick) on Sunday 19th October 2025, at Richmond Town Hall.  

As usual, our panel of enthusiastic and skilled community volunteer repairers will be ready to tackle your broken or damaged household items. 

Haven't got anything that needs fixing this time? Then why not come along and join our community litter pick instead?  All equipment will be provided and there will be a free cuppa and cake waiting for you when you return to the Town Hall.

Please check back here a few days before the event for the latest all the latest info. 

Posted: 18th Sept 25