What We Repair: A Year and a Half of Community Fixes
Since our first repair café in February 2024, we’ve welcomed hundreds of items through our doors at Tregony Village Hall. From vintage treasures to everyday essentials, our wonderful volunteers have tackled an incredible variety of repairs with an impressive 80% success rate.
We thought it would be interesting to look back through all our repair sessions and share what we’ve learned about the items our community brings to us. Here are the top ten types of things that regularly find their way to our repair tables:
The Top Ten
1. Electrical Appliances lead the way - coffee machines, toasters, heaters, kettles, irons, and food processors make up our largest category. It seems we all have that one appliance that’s too good to throw away but just needs a little TLC.
2. Clothing & Textiles are a close second. We’ve darned countless jumpers, hemmed trousers, fixed zips on rucksacks, and even shortened a hi-vis jacket sleeve. Our textile volunteers have become experts at breathing new life into beloved garments.
3. Lamps & Lighting of every description - from elegant table lamps to stubborn Christmas lights, solar garden lights to a rather special lighthouse lamp. Light truly does make everything better!
4. Vacuum Cleaners deserve their own category. Henry Hoovers, Dysons, and various upright models regularly visit us with blockages, broken switches, and mysterious rattles.
5. Garden Equipment reflects our green-fingered community. Strimmers, hedge trimmers, lawn mowers, and leaf blowers all get the expert attention they need to keep our gardens tidy.
6. Chairs & Furniture have found new life through our woodworking volunteers. Wobbly chairs, rocking chairs needing TLC, and the occasional writing desk have all been restored to usefulness.
7. Electronic Devices from tablets and phones to radios and gaming controllers. Our tech-savvy volunteers enjoy the challenge of bringing digital devices back to life.
8. Bikes & Components keep our community mobile. Brake adjustments, gear fixes, chain repairs, and seat adjustments help keep wheels turning.
9. Picture Frames & Artwork remind us that some things are worth preserving for their sentimental value. We’ve carefully restored family photos and cherished artwork.
10. The Unexpected rounds out our top ten - from a tumble dryer that needed our largest toolbox to a vintage 1947 teddy bear requiring delicate surgery, we never know what wonderful surprises will walk through our doors!
This 1947 teddy bear exemplifies the treasured items that find their way to our repair café.
More Than Just Repairs
What strikes us most isn’t just the variety of items, but the stories behind them. That 1947 teddy bear wasn’t just a toy - it was a childhood companion. The vintage record deck wasn’t just electronics - it was someone’s gateway to treasured music. Each item represents a choice to repair rather than replace, to preserve rather than discard.
Our volunteers approach every repair with patience and creativity. Sometimes the fix is straightforward - a loose wire or a simple adjustment. Other times it requires ingenuity, makeshift solutions, or accepting that some things are beyond economical repair. But every attempt teaches us something new.
Join Us
Whether you have something that needs fixing or skills to share, you’re always welcome at Tregony Repair Café. We meet in the community spirit of learning from each other, reducing waste, and celebrating the satisfaction of a job well done.
Our next repair café is this Friday, 27th September, from 9am-12pm at Tregony Village Hall. Bring along anything that needs attention - you might be surprised what we can achieve together!
For more information, visit our website or contact us at contact@tregonyrepaircafe.org.