REPAIR CAFES
Our growing network of Repair Cafes are a hub for community engagement - encouraging people to come together, share skills and a cuppa, and repair what might otherwise get thrown away!
Got a pair of ripped jeans, a bike with a flat tyre, a teddy bear in need of a patch, a sewing machine that’s stopped sewing, or a clock that’s stopped ticking? Bring it along to one of our Repair Cafes and see if one of our superstar volunteers can help give it a new lease of life.
Saving pennies and saving the planet
Repair Cafes are a great way to combat fast fashion and a throwaway culture, and also provide an important community space to open up the conversation and help people to feel empowered to combat the climate crisis together.
The environmental and climate crisis and the cost of living crisis are not separate issues, and repair cafes are a simple but effective solution that addresses the times we’re living in a way that benefits people, and also planet. We do not have finite resources, whether we’re talking on a household level or a planetary level, so finding ways to repair, reuse, or repurpose what we already have is vital for our communities and planet to be able to thrive.
Come one come all
We aim for our Cafes to be as inclusive as possible, in central locations across North Devon where people can reach us easily by foot or by public transport. All our cafes are welcoming spaces for the whole community, so feel free to join us alone or bring your neighbours, your friends, your kids, and your nan!
We currently have Cafes at the following locations:
Braunton, at Museum of British Surfing
Landkey, at Willow’s Tearoom
Ilfracombe, at The Earth Repair Shop and hand:plant cafe
Barnstaple, at Holy Trinity Church
Keep an eye out for more Repair Cafes coming soon to further locations including Combe Martin and South Molton.
We are also keen to promote other community Repair Cafes that have sprung up independently, such as those at Bideford and High Bickington and Atherington, so please let us know if you have an existing Repair Cafe in North Devon that you would like us to promote on our website and social media, or if you would like our help in getting one set up.
Check out our What’s On page for upcoming Cafes near you!
Closing the curtain on cold draughts
We’re all about collaboration when it comes to our Repair Cafe network, and sharing skills and resources where we can. Our original superstar volunteer sewing crew from the Braunton Repair Cafe have also been helping to stitch thermal linings into curtains for households identified as needing support with energy saving measures such as insulation during energy audits by 361 Energy.
THIS PROJECT IS KINDLY SUPPORTED BY:
Funding from the Postcode Local Trust. Postcode Local Trust is a grant-giving charity funded entirely by players of People’s Postcode Lottery. Our organisation received £21425 from the Trust to run and develop our Repair Cafe Network in 2024.
We are also grateful for the support and guidance of the International Repair Cafe Network, of which we are now a member, and to our delivery partners, host venues, and other stakeholders The Museum of British Surfing, Willow’s Tearoom, The Earth Repair Shop, hand:plant cafe, Holy Trinity Church, St John’s Community Hall, Barnstaple Town Council, One Barnstaple, Barnstaple Link Rotary, Pickwell Foundation, and North Devon Voluntary Services.
