Pop-up Repair Café workshops to be held across the borough throughout 2024

Bromley-by-Bow Centre has teamed up with other charities in the borough to launch a programme of pop-up Repair Cafés helping residents make-do-and-mend.

A series of Repair Café workshops will teach people how to repair and repurpose old clothes, household items and electronics.

Bromley-by-Bow Centre is among the charities running the programme. St Margaret’s House, the Royal Foundation of St Katharine and the Yurt Café will collaborate with the community centre on this project, which focuses on making sustainability more achievable.

The organisations will alternate hosting duties for the event, with the next Repair Café scheduled at St Margaret’s House on Saturday 27 April. 

The workshops take place every month, excluding May, August and December. 

Volunteers will teach attendees basic but wholly underrated skills like sewing buttons, hemming clothes, mending holes and altering items to fit better. 

You can also bring along small electrical appliances or IT equipment. An electrician and tech experts will be on hand to help fix broken items or recommend else can be done to prolong their lifespan.

By instructing people on the care of items they already own, Repair Cafés offer an alternative to overconsumption. They also support a circular economy that prioritises the longevity of our purchases, keeping items in our homes and out of landfills. 

St Margaret’s House says the workshops will offer social as well as environmental benefits: ‘They are a great opportunity to learn new skills, make friends and save money.” 

A full list of dates and venues for Repair Café workshops is available at Stmargaretshouse.org.uk.

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