A COMMUNITY repair café is celebrating its latest anniversary, having donated over 1,300 hours helping residents repair items that may have otherwise been thrown away.

Repair Café Bude is celebrating its seventh anniversary in 2026, marking seven years of helping local people repair rather than replace.

The community project began in late 2018, when a small group of like-minded volunteers came together with a shared aim: to reduce waste, share practical skills, and challenge throwaway culture. The first session was held on February 23, 2019, at Neetside Community Centre, where the café continues to run today.

Since then, the initiative has grown into a thriving, volunteer-led project. More than 25 local repairers and helpers have contributed over 1,300 hours of their time. Together they have saved more than 500 items from landfill.

From lamps, laptops and other small household appliances to clothing and toys, hundreds of items have been given a new lease of life.

“We throw away piles of stuff in the UK, even things that have very little wrong with them and could easily be used again after a simple repair,” says Deb Rosser, founding member of Repair Café Bude. “So, we were delighted when Neetside Community Centre stepped forward to lead on Repair Café Bude.”

While the environmental impact is significant, organisers say the café has become about much more than repairs.

“What we love is the unexpected extras Repair Café has brought,” says Miranda Clarke, manager of Neetside Community Centre. “There’s a real sense of community among the repairers, café team, runners and receptionists - all our volunteers have found some common ground in wanting to help reduce waste, share skills and make friends with like-minded people. There’s always a real sense of achievement at the end of the café.”

Volunteers say the human side of the café is just as important as the repairs themselves. Many visitors come as much for a chat as for practical help, and often the items brought in carry strong sentimental value.

In one recent case, a visitor brought in a long-unused music box inherited from a family member. After careful work to realign the mechanism, it began to play again bringing back decades’ old memories.

Despite a pause during the restrictions imposed by the coronavirus pandemic, Repair Café Bude is stronger than ever and continues to grow, with regular collaborations (with groups such as Friends of the Earth Bude, Friends of Bude Sea Pool and the Bude Literary Festival), additional activities, and a steady stream of visitors each month.

Repair Café Bude runs on the last Saturday of every month (except August and December) at Neetside Community Centre, from 10am to 1pm (last repairs by 12.30pm). Visitors are invited to bring along items in need of repair and enjoy refreshments while volunteers take a look. Donations towards running costs are welcome.

Anyone interested in volunteering is also encouraged to get in touch.

For more information, contact Neetside Community Centre on 01288 353403 or email [email protected]