In our modern world where we are encouraged to throw away and buy new, Veronika Liebscher talks about why the Repair Café matters to the volunteers and to the planet. 

Why would a group of volunteers travel all over Ayrshire to repair items belonging to other people, for free?

Mainly it’s a passion for saving …saving the planet by reducing broken stuff from going unnecessarily to landfill (or more likely, incineration and permanent resource loss); saving people money (even another 6 months from a pair of shoes makes a difference to the budget); and saving precious items that often matter to no one but the owner.

Everyone has broken things. And almost everyone has a wee store of broken things they want to keep but don’t know how to fix.

Our small team of volunteers has a variety of different skills – mechanical skills, sewing; darning; fixing broken zips; glueing anything from ornaments to shoes…and more.

Incidentally, we would also like to change the world – change the attitude that says if it breaks, throw it away and replace it. We want to change people by teaching them new skills. Repairing does not have to be hard, maybe it’s just something you’ve never been taught. By showing people how to fix things they are empowered to make informed decisions about what to keep, what to buy and what to throw away.

You can find us in the Maritime Museum on the first Monday of the month, between 10am and noon. If you have something broken, and you can carry it in, we will look at it. If we cannot fix it, we will advise. If you want to have a go at fixing it yourself, we will help you.