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PRESS RELEASE
Embargoed until 2nd January 2020
Manchester groups collaborate for Britain’s Biggest Repair Cafe!
Don’t ditch that broken hi-fi – get help fixing it for FREE at Manchester’s biggest ever repair event, the BIG FIX 2020.
Repair Cafes are free events open to the whole community, where you can get free help fixing a variety of broken household items including bikes, computers, clothing and electricals. Run by skilled volunteers, the aim of the events is to reduce waste but also to pass on important skills and provide a space for people to get to know their neighbours. There are tools and advice on hand, as well as hot drinks (and often cake!). The Repair Cafe movement began in the Netherlands in 2009 and there are now 2,000 Repair Cafes worldwide, nearly 100 across the UK and five in Greater Manchester – with more on the way!
The BIG FIX 2020 aims to be Britain’s biggest Repair Cafe. On Saturday 15th February, hundreds of volunteers at Repair Cafes across the country are participating in a nationwide day of repair events. The BIG FIX 2020 is coordinated by Recycle Devon and Devon County Council in partnership with all participating Repair Cafes.
In Manchester, Chorlton Repair Cafe are collaborating with Boothstown and Levenshulme Repair Cafes from Greater Manchester to break the region’s record for most items fixed in one day. The event will be held on Saturday 15th February 10am-12pm at Wilbraham St Ninian’s Church, Egerton Rd South, Chorlton, Manchester M21 0XJ. It is open to anyone and completely free to attend, though donations to cover costs are always welcome.
Bryony Moore from Chorlton Repair Cafe says: “If you’ve never been to a Repair Cafe before, this is a great opportunity to find out what it’s all about. At our events around 70% of items get fixed on the day. We want to challenge our throw-away culture by offering an alternative that is free and accessible but also loads of fun.”
Alfred Chow, a repair expert who has been volunteering his skills at Repair Cafes across Greater Manchester since 2016, says: “People enjoy learning as much as I enjoy sharing my skills. It’s great to see people gaining the confidence to see broken things as repairable in the first instance and to realise that many items are not as scary or difficult to repair as they might have thought. I believe that this confidence and knowledge helps people to consider what they buy in the future, and their role in helping to reduce the waste created by short life consumer goods.”
You can find more details about Manchester’s BIG FIX event on Facebook or on the Stitched Up website, and via the hashtag #TheBigFix2020 on social media. For any further queries contact Stitched Up on 0161 881 7141 or hello@stitchedup.coop.
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