Keeping a charity going can often feel like an uphill battle. From securing funds to managing volunteer shortages (not to mention the endless mountain of admin), it’s a miracle to make it past the first year.
Yet, from its roots in Holland to its expanding branches around the globe, the international Repair Café movement has consistently weathered its challenges while remaining at the helm of the repair movement.
We’re thrilled to announce that Repair Café is celebrating its 15th anniversary on October 18th!
To mark this milestone, we’d like to take a quick trip down memory lane, reflecting on how it all began, how it’s lasted and what it looks like today. Plus, keep reading for an exciting way you can join in on the celebrations!
The Origin of Repair Café
Repair Café began as a resourceful concept from Martine Postma (who even wrote a book about it, well worth a read for you Dutch speakers!). She noticed how often we throw away everyday items that just need a little tinkering to fix. This grew two questions: what if we became a culture that fixes instead of chucking and buying new? How drastically would that help the environment?
Enter Repair Café. Martine found her solution by producing a welcoming space where gracious volunteers could offer their time and skills to repair people’s belongings—all while enjoying a good chat (not to mention ample cake and tea!).
And so, with no notion of how significant this would become, the first Repair Café opened its doors in 2009 in Amsterdam, and the rest became history. Now, 15 years later, there are over 2,500 worldwide!
Repair Cafés Today
What’s made Repair Café grow into a multi-national movement and how has it survived?
You.
Like all charities, volunteers are at the heart of what keeps a cause alive. Not just offering your time and knowledge, but bringing a warmth and comradery that attracts even those who don’t need anything fixed and just seek pleasant company. This is the standard for all Repair Cafés, regardless of location. You’ll certainly find these principles in our Oxfordshire Cafés!
At any given Café, your team includes both seasoned and novice repairers, all eager to dive in and share their expertise. Together, they help the community save money while reducing our collective resource consumption.
Typical repairs cover sewing and darning, bicycles, electrical and electronic items, mechanical fixes, and sharpening services. Depending on availability, there may also be IT support, jewellery repairs, leatherwork, and even welding. Be sure to check which services are available when you sign up for your event!
Repair Cafés In Oxfordshire!
Whether volunteering as a repairer or wanting one of your items fixed, if you’re looking for Oxfordshire Repair Cafés, thankfully you won’t have to search far. At SHARE Oxford we hold them monthly, here’s our next one:
Sunday, 15th September, 2-5pm
Makespace, Aristotle Lane, OX2 6TP
We’d love to see you there. For more information and to get started, please visit our Repair page.
Looking for even more? A full list of all the Cafés in Oxfordshire can be found here.
Design Your Group’s Flag!
Do you simply itch to stitch? Repair Café is inviting everyone to create a flag representing your local group. We’d love to see Oxfordshire well represented! The complete string of bunting will be on full display at October’s anniversary party.
Whether you volunteer with us or another group in the county, download the pattern and instructions to get started and join in on the celebration!
If you’d like to drop off your flag at SHARE by Monday 30 September, we’ll send off a parcel to the Repair Café team in the Netherlands in time for their mid-October Repair Café XL in the Hague.
Please email us if you’re keen to make one and we’ll put you in touch with the other flag-makers, as well as making sure you don’t miss our delivery. And, of course, any photos of you with your flags will be welcome for social media!
Here’s to another 15, Repair Café! We’re grateful you exist!