Shropshire Star

Oswestry's 'fixperts' look for more items to repair after successful meets

A Shropshire repair cafe's 'fixperts' are looking for more textiles and bicycles to mend this weekend.

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Osborders Repair Café organisers have scheduled in an event in Oswestry.

The Osborders Repair Cafe will be opening for business on Saturday, June 14 and is need of more objects to repair when they open the doors at the Senior Citizen’s Club on Lorne Street from midday to 3pm.

A number of sewing and bicycle volunteer fixperts are available for this session so the group is able to offer more mending slots for textiles and bike repairs.

Founded in 2019 by Build Resilience Against Climate Emergency and Extinction Rebellion last year the volunteer repairers were presented with 363 objects for fixing. Half were mended on the spot, some owners were given advice on spares needed and how to make the repair themselves and some items were fixed after the sessions.

Only 26 belongings were beyond repair – and the Repair Café Network is working with Governments to try to change the law to force manufacturers to make all products repairable.

Alison Alexander of the organisation said: “The Repair Café is thriving because fixperts and visitors both enjoy the social side of the get-togethers. Sharing knowledge and ideas on how to repair things is really fun, and, of course, the homemade cake is a big draw.

“Mending and making-do, just as we used to in the past, is also a really valuable contribution to the climate crisis - we just don’t need to be making more and more stuff and emitting unnecessary carbon. And we save ourselves a lot of money.”

To book an item in for repair, email osbordersrepaircafe@gmail.com or, if you have no access to email, call Colin on 01691 239344.

The service is free but any donations contribute to the running of the cafes.