The Repair Café

In many countries, when something breaks — a toaster, a lamp, a pair of jeans — people simply throw it away and buy a new one. This creates a huge amount of waste every year. — choose for gap 1 —1. When I arrived, a woman called Eva offered to fix it straight away2. That is why a growing number of communities have started something called a Repair Café3. The organisers were disappointed by how few people showed up4. Most of the items brought in were impossible to repair5. Volunteers give up their time and bring their own tools6. The community centre is planning to close down next year7. People of all ages were there, from teenagers to elderly couples8. I have also started learning basic sewing so I can help as a volunteer one day The idea is simple: local volunteers with repair skills fix broken items for free. The first Repair Café in our town opened last autumn in the community centre. It runs every other Saturday from ten until two. — choose for gap 2 —1. When I arrived, a woman called Eva offered to fix it straight away2. That is why a growing number of communities have started something called a Repair Café3. The organisers were disappointed by how few people showed up4. Most of the items brought in were impossible to repair5. Volunteers give up their time and bring their own tools6. The community centre is planning to close down next year7. People of all ages were there, from teenagers to elderly couples8. I have also started learning basic sewing so I can help as a volunteer one day There are people who can mend clothes, fix electronics, sharpen knives, and even repair wooden furniture. I decided to visit after my favourite jacket got a large tear in the sleeve. I had been about to throw it away when a friend told me about the Repair Café. — choose for gap 3 —1. When I arrived, a woman called Eva offered to fix it straight away2. That is why a growing number of communities have started something called a Repair Café3. The organisers were disappointed by how few people showed up4. Most of the items brought in were impossible to repair5. Volunteers give up their time and bring their own tools6. The community centre is planning to close down next year7. People of all ages were there, from teenagers to elderly couples8. I have also started learning basic sewing so I can help as a volunteer one day She examined the tear, chose some matching thread, and had it looking perfect in about fifteen minutes. What surprised me most was how busy the place was. — choose for gap 4 —1. When I arrived, a woman called Eva offered to fix it straight away2. That is why a growing number of communities have started something called a Repair Café3. The organisers were disappointed by how few people showed up4. Most of the items brought in were impossible to repair5. Volunteers give up their time and bring their own tools6. The community centre is planning to close down next year7. People of all ages were there, from teenagers to elderly couples8. I have also started learning basic sewing so I can help as a volunteer one day Some people were chatting while waiting for their items, and others were watching the volunteers work, clearly fascinated by the process. One man told me he had brought in an old radio that hadn't worked for years, and a volunteer had managed to get it playing again. Since my first visit, I have been back three times with different items. — choose for gap 5 —1. When I arrived, a woman called Eva offered to fix it straight away2. That is why a growing number of communities have started something called a Repair Café3. The organisers were disappointed by how few people showed up4. Most of the items brought in were impossible to repair5. Volunteers give up their time and bring their own tools6. The community centre is planning to close down next year7. People of all ages were there, from teenagers to elderly couples8. I have also started learning basic sewing so I can help as a volunteer one day It is a brilliant way to reduce waste, learn something new, and meet interesting people from your neighbourhood.