Queues out of the door as Ludlow Repair Cafe returns

Queues formed outside the town's Rockspring Community Centre even while the repair room and reception area were still being set up - and for the first time they had to turn people away during the morning because of the sheer number of items taken.

“It was fantastic to see the Repair Café so busy,” said Diane Lyle, founder and organiser. "It was difficult to have to tell owners we couldn’t take their items on the day.

"However, the ‘at home’ repair service which was set up during the pandemic continues to operate between events, so owners who were disappointed on the day can still contact us about their items.”

Almost 30 items arrived at the event - held on Saturday, January 29, and, again for the first time, almost all of the items were electrical, presenting the team with an interesting and sometimes challenging range.

Along with vacuum cleaners and CD players and radios, toasters and lamps, volunteers also tackled a Kenwood Chef, a massage bed, a table-top fan, a sewing machine, a gem-stone polisher and a large mirror with lights.

Non-electrical items included clocks, a shopping trolley with a broken wheel, a pair of running shorts, a broken ceramic plate and two items of furniture – one a wooden stool and the other a child’s rush-seated wooden chair.

Diane added: “What wasn’t different on the day, though was the sense of camaraderie between the repairers, their enthusiasm and the ‘buzz’ which lasted for the whole morning.

"It was excellent to see the whole team, repairers and those managing the front-of-house operation, working in such harmony and so seamlessly effectively. Without them and their commitment, the Ludlow Repair Café would not exist. Their sense of fun is just the icing on a fantastic cake!”

The next of the four annual Repair Cafés in town will be happening on Saturday April 30 but the ‘at home’ service runs continually.

For more information, or to join the team, contact ludlowrepaircafe@gmail.com or call 07786 620624.