Local resident and volunteer, Jane Robb, talked to us about opening the Repair Cafe in Whitehead following the year anniversary in June. This is what she had to say:
“The 1st of July 2024 is the first Repair Cafe Whitehead birthday. We were the 10th Repair Cafe in Northern Ireland. A small Organising Group got together early 2023, after lockdown suspended development in 2020. We had the support of Repair Cafe Belfast – three information sessions, templates of forms, guidance documents, group public liability insurance and a borrowed Fixit Box. We organised Volunteer Information sessions and gathered a group of Whiteheaders for general, electrical, jewellery and repairs, admin, baking, to run the café. Local volunteers were supported by a few Repair Café Belfast ‘veterans‘ for electronic and electrical repairs and Tools for Solidarity for sharpening and sewing machine fixes. We can’t thank them enough for sharing their skills, time and commitment.
Local businesses and organisations have also supported us to build our repair community and cut waste – the Bankhouse, Foster’s, the Railway Museum, the Whitecliff, churches and Lighthouse Yarns’ craft group for our banner. And, of course, the people of Whitehead who have brought their broken things for us to have a go at fixing – we have successfully fixed 88 items over the year at four Repair Café Whitehead popups – and have donated generously to sustain us as we develop.
If you’re interested in volunteering for our team as a fixer, a baker, on the Welcome Desk, baking, etc, please email us at repaircafewhitehead@gmail.com If you know anyone who would be interested in fixing bikes or doing electrical or electronic repairs please let us know. We’d be happy to run another Volunteer Information session. You’ll also find us on Facebook and Instagram and look out for the date of our next Repair Café Whitehead – come along and check us out, have a cuppa, a bun, a chat!
Repair Cafés are pop-up community events where skilled volunteers help people fix broken things and pay as they feel. They bring people together, cut waste and share skills. They are not a service. They are a community, accessible to all, sustainable, collaborative and supportive: part of the solution to combat climate emergency, consumerism, etc. Repair Café Whitehead is part of a community and people-driven global community of over 3000 Repair Cafés globally. Since 2017 eleven Repair Cafes have been developed in Northern Ireland with more in the pipeline.”