News from the Repair Cafe 6th July 2022

Huge thank you to all the fixers and helpers at the Repair Cafe on Saturday 6th July; considering we were competing with Formula 1, I think it went well. It was a bit slow, perhaps due to Formula 1 or being a Saturday afternoon but we did have a steady stream of customers.

My thanks to Jeanne, Becky and Elizabeth who stepped in at the call for help. Which enabled Maureen, Christine and I (along with Maureen’s amazing cakes) to support the Repair Cafe and ensure it all went smoothly.

Also, a shout out to the sewing team, Cathy, Wendy and Jackie who, as well as helping fix textile items, took on the task of making 35 metres of beautiful bunting for the Donkey Lane Community Orchard.

And who can forget our regular fixers, Ted, Jeremy, Keith and Eamonn who did a tremendous job of fixing once again – a variety of objects. And to Alan and David for triaging and PAT testing items.

Here’s the stats!

We had 8 fixers, 6 support and 38 visitors. There were 22 items logged in of which 17 were fixed (52 kilos), 2 given advice (2.5 kilos) and 3 being unfixable (4 kilos). Not a bad turnaround 😊.

Some of the items that turned up were:

Radios, hand bags and shopping bags, lamp, sewing machines, karcher washer, hand mixer, fragrancer, clock, vax hoover, strimmers, ride on toy cars, soft toys, skirt, elephant and my favourite – a unicorn!

Unfortunately, donations were down and we didn’t cover the cost of the event, but I think it’s not only about making money.

I know that everyone who took part enjoyed the afternoon as much as I did and feel the service we all provide is invaluable, not just in terms of fixing items but as an opportunity for people to come in and enjoy the friendly atmosphere as well as the refreshments on offer. 

Many asked when the next Repair Cafe would be and if it will be a regular event? For my part – I would like to say yes to both questions, however, we're in a ‘catch-22’ situation. We need to schedule more Repair Cafes to generate more interest and customers but to do so we need to have co-ordinator/s that can run the cafe. The Repair Cafe is one of my favourite projects. However, my time is very much taken with other Greening Chinnor projects and in particular the Orchard (as well of course, trying to have a life 😊) which is why we need help.

The co-ordinator/s do/does most of the preparatory work. They usually make arrangements with local venues, maintain contact with everyone, recruit volunteers, make sure the right paperwork is up to date and available and generally keep an eye on everything that has been done and that still needs doing ensuring the smooth ‘flow’ at the Repair Cafe.

Questions

• Would Chinnor like to have 3 or 4 repair cafés a year? 
• Do we know anyone who would like to learn to be a co-ordinator?
• Would we be able to get a grant to cover the cost of say 3 or 4 repair cafés so we don’t have to rely on donations?

Any suggestions and thoughts would be welcome and much appreciated. If you would like to find out how you can support our local Repair Cafe email Linda at greeningchinnor@gmail.com.