Richmondshire Repair and Repurposing Cafe

Repair & Repurpose Cafe - Poster - 23.03.25.pdf

Countdown to our next Repair Cafe  ...... in Richmond !

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

Repair Cafe and Eco Fair declared a success

Over 100 people navigated the icy conditions to take part in our first event of the new year at Richmond School in January.  Visitors were able to chat about activities with nine different local eco organisations, and had an opportunity to share views and information with the air quality, active travel and climate change team members from North Yorkshire Council. 

A record of almost 50 items were brought in for repair, of which almost two thirds were repaired on the day or were being repaired afterwards. Together with the ever popular cafe offering home baked cakes, the event raised £270 in donations.

Scroll down for a selection of photos from the event.

Thank you to everyone who visited and made generous donations, and of course to all the volunteers who give up their time so generously. Watch this space for information about the next event!

Posted: 21st Jan 25

Getting ready for the off !

Things getting busy on the eco fair side for Save Our Swale and North Yorkshire Rotters.

And just as busy for Roy and Andrew at the PAT testing and electronic repairs table

Chris and Verona didn't get much rest at the sewing station. 

And a bit of audience participation was needed to help Don get this repair over the line!

It's thirsty work so Barbara had her hands full meeting the demand for drinks and home baked cakes.

Online eco-newsletter writer Sarah Harley enjoyed publicising  'The Northern Eco' .

Ian was busy attending to electrical repairs, including this toaster - there's always at least one brought in !

Sue had plenty of paperwork to sort out as she dealt with a deluge of jewellery and sewing repairs.

250119 Repair & Repurpose Cafe - Poster - pdf.pdf

New Year, New Venue !

Our first Repair & Repurposing Cafe of 2025 will be on  Sunday 19th January at the Sixth Form Hall at Richmond School, from 9.45am to 12.30pm, 

Volunteer repairers, already confirmed, have the skills to have a go at fixing the following:

Bicycles - punctures, cable adjustment, greasing, steering, brakes, etc.

Fabric  - all types of fabric/knitting/sewing repairs, e.g. clothes. soft toys, fabric bags, gloves, etc.

Jewellery - rethreading, fixing clasps, etc. 

Electronics/Electricals* - small appliances, clocks, digital devices, such as games consoles, portable TVs, laptops, mobile phones, etc.. (*please remember to bring your item's power cable) 

General household goods - broken pottery, ceramics, picture frames, lamps, garden tools, etc.

The PAT testing of electrical  items that are brought in for repair is being kindly undertaken by Roy McCormack, a D&T technician at Richmond School. 

And of course, our usual cake bakers will be keen to see what you think of their latest offerings, whilst you enjoy a cuppa !

The repair cafe activities are part of the Richmond Eco Fair, where you  can find out  about the activities of local organisations who are helping to care for our local environment. You can even have a go at making a smoothie by pedalling a bicycle! 

To find out more visit the Richmondshire Climate Action Partnership homepage

 Posted: 1st January 2025

Getting to the Repair Cafe & Eco Fair

The repair cafe and eco fair is being held in the Sixth Form Hall at Richmond School. The hall is at the town end of the school site set back from the main Richmond Road frontage. 

If you are walking: you can get to the hall via the entrance to the site on The Crescent, via the car parking areas facing Darlington Road, or via the entrance at the corner of The Avenue and Darlington Road. Look out for the signs pointing you in the right direction!

If you are driving: it is best to park in the overspill parking area on the school site, as this is closest to the hall. You can access this by turning into the school site at the entrance near the pedestrian crossing/Fontenay Road turn  (our repair cafe banner is on the railing there), and then turning sharp right to go round the building and bear right towards the car park area. Then look out for the signs pointing you in the right direction!

Posted : 11th Jan 25

Photos by Kev Burnitt

Pop up repair cafe in Leyburn showcases new community shed

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

Sew far, so good

New volunteer and sewing enthusiast Verona looks right at home, getting stuck into her first repair of the day. 

Can we resist ?

Hats off to the cafe volunteers who managed to serve teas and coffees all morning without eating all the delicious cakes! A big thank you too to our fabulous cake bakers. 

At the cutting edge

Volunteer  small tool sharpener and general fixer Richie explains to the owner of a pair garden shears the finer points of how he can sharpen them up. 

Problem solving for Pete

New volunteer Pete is enjoying getting his head (and fingers) around his first repair cafe job. 

A stitch in time

An overcoat gets expert treatment from Sue, one of the first volunteers to sign up when the idea  of a local repair cafe was born, almost a year ago.

PAT testing is hungry work 

All inbound and outbound electrical items were tested for electrical safety by Tony (pictured here) and Ian. 

Leyburn Repair Cafe - the stats are in !

Repairs 

Almost three-quarters (74%) of the 19 repair jobs logged were successfully repaired.

There were 5 sharpening jobs, 4 sewing jobs, 2 jewellery jobs, 4 electrical jobs, 3 general jobs and 1 bike job. 

A bike was also donated to Richmond Community Bike Services.

Satisfaction

100% of visitors completing feedback forms (7 no.) enjoyed the event and would visit again. On average, they would like to see the event run once every 2 months.

Comments and compliments received - thanks to everybody who left feedback !

"A great service, an excellent repair to my jacket - very pleased! Many thanks"

"Superb service -friendly and really helpful. Not only was my petrol leaf blower fixed, but I was upskilled to look after it better in the future. So many thanks."

"Very friendly - I learnt a lot"

"Excellent - 5 minutes - treasured item repaired. Hope you come again".

"Would have been very useful to know what disciplines were attending, e.g. fabric, woodwork, etc"

"Very helpful, useful, and a good bunch of people with varied skills"

Posted: 19 Nov 24

Volunteers ready to tackle your broken items at our next repair cafe

We are delighted to have assembled a strong team of community repairers for our next repair cafe, making use of the new community shed at the Leyburn Arts Centre on Saturday 16th November, from 9.45am to 12.30pm. 

Volunteers will be able to tackle a variety of repairs, such as:

There will also be free tea, coffee, soft drinks and home made cakes to enjoy, whether or not you have an item to be repaired.

The event is FREE to attend, but donations are welcome to help us cover the costs of running the event. 

The venue is on Richmond Road, postocde DL8 5DL. 

Parking: There is limited parking available on the site, but Leyburn Auction Mart is kindly allowing customers of the repair cafe to park considerately on their site. There is also 'honesty box' parking just the other side of the church/presbytery that adjoins the Arts Centre site, or on street spaces round the town centre nearby . There are bus stops about 200m away further up Richmond Road.

Our repurposing activities for children will return at the next repair cafe in the New Year.

Updated  7th Nov Oct 24

Repair & Repurpose Cafe - Leyburn. pdf

Who might you meet on the day ?

Our fabulous fixers include:

Mark - household mechanical and electrical items.

Ian- mechanical and electrical items, electronics, woodwork, and PAT testing.

Pete -  a new volunteer and a 'have a go at anything' man ! 

Richie - sharpening small household and garden items

Sue - fabric/jewellery

Verona - a new volunteer who loves fabric/sewing.

+ community shed volunteers for woodwork repairs and looking after the cafe ! 

PAT testing by Tony and Ian to ensure all electrical equipment and repairs are safe. 

Phil - bicycle repairs by Richmond Community Bicycle  Services. 

Our meet and greet team will include:

Elaine, Frank and Keith - welcome and registration

Valerie - welcome, registration and overall coordination

Updated:  1st Nov 2024

Richmondshire Repair Cafe continues its winning ways

Almost 50 people were welcomed to the latest Richmondshire Repair and Repurposing Cafe at Richmond Town Hall on Sunday 8th September. About 30 items were handled by the repairers, of which about half were repaired on site. Volunteers were deployed to  fix everything from clothes and jewellery, to bikes, mechanical, electrical and porcelain items. The cafe also provided repurposing activities for children, and delicious home baked cakes, tea and coffee for those waiting for repairs or just wanting to have a chat. 

Thanks to all the volunteers for sharing their skills and time so generously, and as importantly, thanks to all of you who visited the cafe and made the donations that will help us to fund our next event.  Thanks also to  Luke of BSA Electrical, who provided the PAT testing, and to North Yorkshire Council and Richmond Town Council for their start up grants.

Scroll down for more pictures and stories from our latest event.

Posted: 10th Sept 24, update 25th Oct 24

Mayor drops in to support the Richmond Repair Cafe

The Mayor of Richmond, Councilor White, kindly dropped in to offer his support to our recent repair cafe at the Town Hall.  

The Mayor spent some time chatting with the repairers and other volunteers who were busy ensuring the event went smoothly. 

The Town Council provided £100 of start up funding to help get the repair cafe off the ground, and its funding has supported two successful events so far.

Posted: 10th Sept 24

A busy day for jewellery repairs

Much loved necklaces kept volunteer Sue Stokes happy all morning, and she made the owners even more happy when her work was completed.

Both necklaces were rethreaded with new wire and larger clasps. The pictures show Sue and her happy 'customers' June and Judith showing off their jewellry, back where they belong again! Great work Sue !

Its not just about the repairs - its a cafe too !

For many, the repair and repurposing cafe is as much about the cafe as it is the repairs, and for some it was all about some coffee, cake and a chat! 

A fine array of home baked sweet treats including plant based,  dairy and gluten free options were kindly and expertly  baked by Alison, Sandra, Emma and Elaine, and enjoyed by visitors and volunteers alike. 

Mmm.. delicious !

Posted 10th Sept 24

Apollo bike owners 'over the moon' with their repairs

Not one, but two Apollo bikes were successfully repaired and ridden away from the cafe after some tlc from Phil Batts of Richmond Community Bicycle Services. The pic above shows Phil hard at it, at what was possibly the tidiest workstation in the hall. Top job, Phil !

Posted 10 Sept 24

Patience makes perfect

Volunteer Don deployed his general repair skills and patience to great effect to bring this broken porcelain military figurine back to life. 

Don is pictured here waiting patiently for his first epoxy glue repair to set, before moving on to reattach this little chap to his legs, and finally to clean off any excess glue - all to ensure the result was as shiny and flawless as it was originally. 

Proud owner David was delighted with the final result. Well done Don.

Now this sucks !

This Dyson vacuum cleaner wasn't sucking when it was brought in, but with skill and persistence, our volunteer repairer Ian got it back up working again, and Luke, of BSA Electrical inspected the result and declared a PAT test pass - a result all round and another everyday household item saved from the landfill ! 

Grand job Ian, and Luke! 👍

Posted 10th Sept 24

What is a repair and repurposing cafe?  


A repair and repurposing cafe is an event where people can bring along their broken or damaged goods and clothes and community volunteers have a go at fixing them, or reimagining new uses for your items. 


The idea is to save you money by helping you making the most of what you already have, and to help save the planet by reducing the amount of waste going to landfill !


Volunteers give their time for free, though if they have a spare part that is needed for your repair, they may charge you for what they paid for it, or they may tell you where you can go and purchase the part. 


Unfortunately, not everything that you bring to cafe may be repairable on the day. We will try to suggest a local business where it could be repaired, or may suggest an alternative use for the item if it is beyond repair. - see 'What if you can't fix my item?' below


Updated 30th Aug 2024

Could you be a volunteer at our next event ?

We are always looking for new volunteers to help us organise and run our repair and repurposing cafes - could this be you?

If you get satisfaction from helping others and would like to join our small but friendly team of repairers, cake bakers and organisers, then please get in touch with valerie@richmondshireclimateaction.org.

We are particularly on the lookout for woodworkers and IT fixers.

You can do as much or as little as you want - and you don't have to help out at every event. We are hoping to run events in Richmond and around every couple of months or so.

Scroll down to see what our first event was like - all our volunteers thoroughly enjoyed it !

Updated 30th Aug 24

What if you can't fix my item ?

If we can't fix your item, then you might want to try a local repair business. Check out the local repairers directory below to see if there is one that matches your needs !

Updated: 6th June 2024

repairers directory rev1.pdf

Who is supporting the repair cafe ?

As well as all the volunteers who have organised and taken part in the event and of course all the people who turn up, the repair and repurposing cafe would not be possible without the welcome financial support of the following:

The following volunteers are taking time out from their related companies to support the cafe in kind:

Luke of BSA Electrical Your Local Electrician - BSA Electrical 

Phil of Richmondshire Community Bicycle Services CIC – Recycling Unwanted Bicycles (richmondshirecommunitybikeservices.uk) 

Thanks to everyone ! 

Uppdated 30th Aug 24

Thank you to everyone who supported our first ever repair and repurposing cafe in June 2024. Our enthusiastic and highly skilled community volunteers managed to fix almost half of all the items that you brought in, our cake makers excelled themselves with their fabulous offerings and our meet and greet volunteers made sure everyone felt welcome. A beaming smile from a little one indicated that the repurposing activity got the thumbs up too !

If you enjoy fixing things or meeting and greeting visitors, perhaps you would like to be a volunteer at one of our future events ? if so, please get in touch with me via email (valerie@richmondshireclimateaction.org)to find out more.  

Here are some pictures for you to enjoy from volunteers Sandra, Sue and Tony that capture some of the atmosphere of the day.

2 bikes repaired

1 IT item fixed

2 pieces of jewellery fixed 


All our lovely volunteers ready for action !

6 electronic/electrical items repaired

4 fabric repairs 

4 general repairs

How long is it until the next repair cafe ?

If our first repair and repurposing cafe is successful and we have enough willing volunteers, we hope to run another cafe in the area soon. 

Please check back to this page or email valerie@richmondshireclimateaction.org to be added to the mailing list. 

Posted 4th June 2024

Are you good at fixing things ? Do you enjoy helping out ?

If you would like to get involved in helping to organise the Richmond repair cafe, either as a repairer, front of house or behind the scenes, do get in touch with valerie@richmondshireclimateaction.org. We would particularly love to hear from people with woodwork, sewing or computer fixing skills. Why not showcase your talents in an informal and friendly setting?

Posted: 1st April 2024

Information for Volunteers

General

Repair Cafe Layout - Sept 24 Richmond

New process for dealing with repairs - Sept 24

revised repair process - 02Sept24.pdf

Revised Repair Record Form - Sept 24

revised repair record form 02Sept24.pdf
240412 notes of meet up no2 - town hall size up.doc

Meet up No 2, 12th April - notes

240329 Notes of repair cafe meetup no1.doc

Meet up No 1,  28th March  - notes

Publicity Material