Bradninch Repair Cafe

Organised by Sustainable Bradninch, the Repair Cafe has become a firm favourite of residents of Bradninch and the surrounding area. It's a rather beautiful thing to behold, a room full of people drinking their caffeinated beverage of choice and nibbling delicious homemade cake, while crafty volunteers with sewing machines and precision screwdrivers tinker with items which, in a society that has become all too acquainted with disposability, could easily have been thrown away. I caught up with organiser Lucy Mottram to find out more ...

Hi Lucy. What do you do for a living?

Hi Mike! I work in the waste team at Devon County Council, doing environmental education, running school trips to Devon’s Energy from waste plants and making sure children across Devon know about resource management and sustainability issues. I find it really interesting how many people still don’t know that Devon doesn’t send rubbish to landfill anymore and I love telling people we’re the second best county in the country for recycling!

How long have you lived in Bradninch?

I’ve lived here with my family for 15 years. We moved here in 2010.

What's the deal with Bradninch Repair Cafe? I mean ... who the hell cares about a load of old junk?!

Good question! Every piece of so-called junk that we repair is one less item that is put in the bin.

We have a growing crisis with the world’s resources, which won’t go on forever. At the moment it might be fairly cheap to buy a new toy, kettle or hoover, but we will run out of the materials to build these at some point, whether it’s oil to make plastic or rare Earth metals vital for electronics. The new stuff is usually made in China, so there’s also a huge carbon footprint attached to each new object, meaning each new item adds to climate change. So mending stuff saves money, reduces carbon and saves the world’s resources.

It's a great idea. Who does the repair work?

Local people, who have volunteered their mending skills, from sewing, to computer help and guidance. A great benefit of the repair cafe is sharing skills with others, often built up over a long professional life as a skilled tradesperson or engineer. Our other hope is that the person watching the repair might think “oh, that was actually quite easy, maybe I’ll have a go next time.”

Are you looking for new volunteers with particular skills?

We’re always on the lookout for people with a particular skill and willing to turn up once every two months on a Saturday morning. Tool and knife sharpening is always in demand, and I’d love to be able to offer specialist repair like jewellery or clock repairs at Bradninch Repair Cafe. We also welcome people without a particular mending skill as we run a coffee morning alongside the repair cafe. We always need extra pairs of hands!

What's the funniest thing anyone has brought in?

Oh, we’ve had so many things over the years! There’s been some brilliant old toys and games. One in particular is a small nativity scene that spins around and plays a carol, but the camel was spinning backwards!

Is it okay to come and eat the cake even if I don't need anything repairing?

Absolutely! There’s always lots of cake and good coffee to be had! Just come for the cake and company!

Bradninch Repair Cafe runs several times a year at the Guildhall. Keep up to date by following Sustainable Bradninch on Facebook.

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