Repair Cafe in Shropshire set to celebrate sixth anniversary and growth despite covid
A group that brings repairers in Shropshire together with people who needs things repaired will be signing off another year in style.
Ludlow Repair Café has come through the challenge of covid and is going from strength to strength at the end of its sixth year of operation.
Its next event will take place on Saturday October 29
Di Lyle, who set up the Repair Café in Ludlow in 2016 and who continues to organise and run it, said: "It has been, and continues to be, a rewarding adventure.
“The Repair Café couldn’t have happened without the enthusiasm and commitment of those first volunteers – many of whom are still on the team – but as the Repair Café has evolved, so has that team.
"Repairers continue to offer their skills and expertise but they are now supported by an admin team with equally wide skills and expertise, which keeps the wheels running smoothly. And everyone still smiles!”
At the first event, in 2016, there were six repairers and only a dozen customers but the items which arrived kept the repairers busy and interested and there was a good atmosphere.
After that first one, all the repairers were happy to carry on and within the first year the repair team had tripled as had the customers.
Di established a pattern of quarterly Café events on the last Saturday of January, April, July and October which continued until the Covid invasion and the first lockdown in 2020.
However, she added: “Things still break and it was as important as ever, if not more so, to provide a repair service and many of the repair team welcomed the opportunity to keep busy.”
A new set of procedures was devised to ensure the safety of owners and repairers and the ‘new look’ Repair Café blossomed as its ‘at home’ service developed.
Since the restrictions lifted in July 2021 the Repair Café has returned to its quarterly meeting pattern of January, April, July and October but the ‘at home’ service continues so repairs are available throughout the year.
The Ludlow Repair Café team boasts a number of specialists including clocks, radios/stereos (the older the better), toys, lamps, jewellery and sewing, but, apart from TVs and computers which aren’t accepted, everyone will attempt to tackle pretty well anything.
An equally essential part of that team is a qualified electrical safety tester and donations received over the past few years have enabled the Repair Café to purchase its own safety test equipment.
For more information or to join that exciting team, contact Di Lyle on 07786 620 624 or email ludlowrepaircafe@gmail.com
The next gathering of the repairers will be on October 29 between 9.30 am and 12 midday at the Elim Church Hall, in Ludlow's Smithfield car park.
