FARNHAM Repair Cafe is bracing itself for a ‘DIY repair boom’ post-lockdown – and calling for a new cohort of volunteer repairers and trustees to support its move into bigger premises at The Spire Church.

The repair cafe, led by Professor Martin Charter of the UCA’s Centre for Sustainable Design, is currently operating a free online advice service via Facebook, having been forced to halt its popular, Covid-safe repair sessions run last October and December.

It has also held a number of sociable ‘Repair Connections’ events online over the past 12 months, including one session where the 11 year old grandson of one of the cafe’s regular repairers was guided in how to fix a light live on Zoom.

And the cafe has also secured funding to launch a new website – https://frc.cfsd.org.uk – seeking to encourage product owners to reuse and repair, and including the world’s first carbon calculator; allowing other repair cafes to estimate their greenhouse gas emissions savings.

But is hoped, when Covid restrictions are sufficiently lifted, that Farnham Repair Cafe will soon be able to return to The Spire Church – and is in the process of exploring socially-distanced models that make this possible.

In the autumn, owners of broken products were able to book one of around 20 repair slots in advance, and deposit their items in a bag at the front of The Spire Church at an allotted time.

If you would like to support the repair cafe’s aim of diverting broken goods from landfill, either as a volunteer repairer or a trustee, email Ros on [email protected] or call 01252 892772.