Worcester Repair Cafe: Let’s Waste Less research done by and written by Mikulas Vinar and edited and co-written by Heather Sykes
The Students’ Union at the University of Worcester is pleased to announce it is now the permanent home to Worcester Repair Cafe. Located in the Student Union building, called The Hangar, on the St. John’s campus, this convenient location is on the 31 Bus route, with a bus stop by the door and plenty of parking. It’s a great location for the volunteers and the community. The University provides free storage, and the catering company has allowed the use of the cafe counter, so there is even more space and less setup for everyone. On the second Saturday of every month except August, the doors open at 11.00 am, and the last items are accepted at 1.30 pm, with doors closing at 2.00pm. Homemade baked goods and hot drinks are sold, and the income from the cafe and the pay-what-you-can go toward providing resources. All the repairers and bakers do this on a voluntary basis. Get in touch with Worcester Repair Cafe or Katy Boom at k.boom@worc.ac.uk if you are interested in helping. You can volunteer to staff the reception desk or help with the organisation; you don’t need specific repairing skills, but if you have these, they are always welcome.
Worcester Repair Cafe is a monthly (except August) event where a group of volunteers repair broken things of all kinds and purposes. People can bring anything they can “carry through the door“. Repairers will do their best to give the item a second, third, or anynumber of lives. The repair cafe project was designed to respond to the culture of consumption and the excessive waste it generates. Worcester’s community can save their loved items and stop them from ending up in a landfill or an incineration plant.
Repair Cafe Report
The Students’ Union Hangar is bustling. People are chatting together and chilling around. A very friendly atmosphere is sewn, soldered, and otherwise established between the sofas and tables with their repairers. There are stands for repairing clothes (and bears, as I have been told). Other stands are open for mechanical, metal, and woodworking, and many are for repairing electronics.
The nice and friendly community is a true value of a Repair Cafe, with the main purpose to prolong the life of everyday items. Repair cafe is becoming more popular among people of all ages. There has been more discussion on repair cafes across the UK. Let’s hope that an environmentally friendly, sustainable way of living will also be adopted across all the social structures involved.
Item Care Before You Repair
There are so many things we get rid of every day that could be reused if taken care of. Repairing items is a step in the sustainable living cycle, but you can do things before then to prolong the life of your belongings.
Clothes are a big thing that we often fail to look after properly. Often we wash incorrectly, which results in clothes shrinking and having to stretch themback out. Extra stress and strain on fabrics can cause holes and tears which we then have to mend. You can extend the life of your clothes if and when you wash right.
At Sus Things Out, we have looked at good wash care before. If you want to know more about wash care, then read here.
When we care and repair our items, consumerist behaviours end. We learn to love our things and also keep them for longer. We hope you visit the Worcester Repair Cafe with your loved items!