Derry BIG FIX Repair Cafe event this weekend

Members of the public are being invited to bring their broken household items to a special event this weekend where skilled menders will attempt to bring them back to life.

Items such as electronics, garden equipment, clothing, jewellery, clocks and much more can be brought to U3A in the Gransha Grounds on Saturday May 25th from 10.30am to 1pm for the BIG FIX Repair Café event.

The event is being jointly hosted by Repair and Share Foyle and Derry City and Strabane District Council.

Repair and Share Foyle’s Project Co-ordinator, Caroline McGuinness-Brooks, said they are hoping to build on the success of last year’s cafe.

“The Big Fix has become an annual event in our calendar, and now that we’ve doubled our team since spreading our wings to Strabane, we’re hoping to beat last year’s record when we fixed 52 items.

“People are also reminded that they can drop off any old laptops to the event as part of the team’s remit to tackle digital poverty and e-waste.”

BIG FIX events are taking place across the UK and Northern Ireland for the fourth time, with over 60 Repair Cafés already registered to take part, and an extra push is being made this year to tackle e-waste with support from Recycle Your Electricals.

The BIG FIX hopes to help people save money, not only by repairing old items but also passing on skills to fix their own items in the future.

Repair Cafés are increasing in popularity as people are becoming more budget and environmentally conscious.

They are organised and run by volunteers who offer their time and skills to help mend broken items and keep them in use for longer.

Volunteers also help greet visitors, supply tea and coffee and restock supplies of cakes and other tasty treats.

Last year, 83 Repair Cafés and 800 volunteers took part in the BIG FIX, mending 2,761 items and saving 48 tonnes CO2e while many cakes and biscuits were served alongside many more cups of tea and coffee.

The Team at Repair and Share Foyle are also celebrating their 2nd birthday with a lot to celebrate since becoming a community interest company and securing premises for their incoming Library of Things, tool and equipment library.

The BIG FIX 2024 is taking place across May to enable as many Repair Cafés as possible to take part.

You can find out more about Switch to Repair by visiting www.derrystrabane.com/repair.