The 23 Cornwall Repair Cafes fixing what you’d usually bin

When something breaks, the easy option is to bin it and buy a new one. Cornwall now has 23 places set up to talk you out of that, run by volunteers who will help you fix it instead.

What actually happens at a Repair Cafe

A Repair Cafe is a meeting place where people bring in things that have stopped working and get help putting them right. That covers clothes that need altering or mending, along with broken furniture, electrical gadgets, bikes, toys, crockery and more.

The idea is that you learn as you go. Want to sew on a button, fix the zip on a coat, or wire a plug? These are the kinds of everyday skills the volunteer repairers will talk you through while you watch, so you can handle the next small fix yourself and get more life out of the things you already own.

The numbers so far

The effort adds up. Across 77 events, Repair Cafe volunteers in Cornwall have repaired 866 items and put in 1,382 hours between them.

That work has saved an estimated 26 tonnes of CO2 emissions. Every fix keeps a working item out of the bin and cuts the resources that would have gone into a replacement.

Where to find one near you

There are 23 Repair Cafes running across Cornwall, most of them monthly and staffed by local volunteers. Here is where and when they meet.

Truro Repair Cafe is currently paused while it looks for a new venue.

The Cornwall Repair Cafe Network

Behind the individual cafes sits the Cornwall Repair Cafe Network, which supports both brand new groups and ones that have been going for a while. The wider aim is to build a community, pass on skills, and push back against throw-away culture.

Groups that join the network get:

• connection to a Cornwall-wide network of repair cafes
• public liability insurance at no cost
• a place in the directory of repair cafes in Cornwall
• promotion of their events through the network’s website and social media
• a step-by-step guide covering governance, venue selection, sample risk assessments and monitoring forms

If you want to start or register a cafe, you can join the Cornwall Repair Cafe Network through the council’s online form. Submitting it gives the network permission to share your details with other members, and they will send back a Repair Cafe Pack once you are in. There is also a Repair Cafe Network Facebook group worth joining.