Cafe repair team in Pocklington works to end 'throwaway culture'

BBC News

20-03-2025

A group that repairs broken equipment is working to combat a "throwaway culture" by restoring items back to working order.The Pocklington Repair Cafe says its aim is to keep things that can be repaired out of landfill.The East Yorkshire group is one of many around the country that includes volunteers from many walks of life who share their skills and tools with each other, and with those bringing something that needs fixing.It can sometimes be easy to throw the item away and buy a new one, but the group hopes they can make a difference, both to the environment and - during the cost-of-living crisis – to the pounds in people's pockets.
The group holds a drop-in session every few months at the town's Scout Hut.On this occasion, Stephen Ward has brought in a trolley that needs fixing. He relies on it to help him with walking, and says it would be a challenge finding another one that suits him.
Amateur repairer Damien Cunningham is having a go at fixing a broken rod which holds it all together.The part that's broken is relatively rare, so Damien is trying hard to find something else that fits."We still have the problem that one of the key fixings is missing," he says."It's the sort of job [where] at home I would make one, but I don't have the facilities here."It takes Damien more than an hour to come up with a solution, but eventually Stephen gets to wheel his fully functioning trolley home rather than having to throw it away.
Lyn Gregory, meanwhile, has brought in a lamp that isn't working but which she had hoped to give to the hospice shop where she helps out.This turns out to be a quick fix, with the team at the repair cafe also giving it a free electrical safety check."I'm delighted," says Lyn."I hate waste, and it wasn't working and I couldn't sell it... but now it can be [sold]."
Elizabeth Walker, who set up the Pocklington group, says this is just the sort of thing they get together for."Mostly they are just domestic items – kettles, toasters, things like that. But occasionally we do get sentimental items in that need fixing," she says.Elizabeth credits the whole team with making it all work."We've just got some very willing volunteers. They've learned how to mend things, and they're offering their services. And they share their expertise with each other, and their tools."
This month's session has been a success. Everyone seems to have gone away happy, despite some challenging jobs.The benefits are obvious, say the volunteers.Why buy something new when you don't have to? And why fill up precious landfill space when so many things can be repaired or reused?
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