Manchester’s Repair Café’s and where to find them
Did you know there are 5 Repair Cafes across Manchester? These little hubs are dotted across the City and they’re powered by expert volunteers who’ll attempt to tackle any repair job – big or small.
What are repair cafes?
Repair café’s are free meeting places where you can bring broken items to be fixed up by expert volunteers who are skilled in all sorts of fields. They’re spaces where you can meet people, learn skills and work with volunteers to make your items good as new.
There are over 2,500 total repair cafes around the world, and you can find out more about them by clicking here.
How do they work?
Simply bring your items along to your nearest Repair Café location (you’ll want to check what time they’re open from before you go, and if there are any items they’re unable to help with).
When you arrive, let someone know what items you’ve brought along with you, and they’ll point you in the direction of a volunteer who can help. Then, a volunteer will help you figure out what the problem might be and see how it can be fixed. Whilst they’re fixing your item, the volunteer will guide you through how to do it, so you can come along next time and teach someone what you’ve learnt!
Why should we repair our stuff?
Repairing our broken stuff can help us save money, prevents stuff from ending up in landfill, and means we can keep things that are important to us for longer! Having something repaired also reduces the resources and energy needed to create new products, which helps to reduce our carbon footprint.
By attending a repair café, you’ll also get the chance to chat to volunteers and learn something new too! You might even be able to fix something yourself the next time it’s on the blink.
What can I bring to repair?
You’d be surprised at just how many items can be brought back to life thanks to the skills of Repair Café volunteers. Some commonly repaired electrical items are things like toasters, kettles, radios, headphones, clocks, and phone chargers.
And it doesn’t stop there! You can also usually bring along clothes or accessories that need mending, and some repair café’s offer bicycle repairs too. Be sure to check each Repair Café before you go to see what kinds of things they might specialise in.
Where can I find a repair café in Manchester?
Here’s a list of repair cafés in Manchester to help you find the one closest to you. If you live a bit further away, you can also enter your postcode here to find out where your nearest one is.
The Boiler House Repair Cafe
Where: 9 Wilcock St, Moss Side, M16 7DA
When: Final Saturday of each month (10am-12pm)
Levenshulme Repair Café
Where: Levenshulme Old Library, Cromwell Grove, Levenshulme, Manchester M19 3QE
When: Third Saturday of each month (10am-12pm)
Chorlton Park Repair Café
Where: St Margaret's Centre, Brantingham Rd, Chorlton, M21 0TT
When: Second Saturday of each month (10am – 12pm)
Boothstown Repair Café
Where: Multiple locations
When: Varying times
Stretford Repair Café
Where: Stretford Public Hall, Chester Rd, Stretford, M32 0LG, UK
When: First Sunday of each month (10am-12pm)
