Give It a New Lease of Life at the Seaboard Repair Café

We’re delighted to be bringing our very own Repair Café & Breakfast Club to the Seaboard Centre, with the first session taking place on Saturday 12 September, from 9am to 12pm. This is a wonderful new opportunity for our community to come together, enjoy some breakfast and help give household items a new lease of life rather than throwing them away. The initiative has been funded for its first year through the Highland Council’s Re-use & Repair Fund, and we very much hope it will become a valued and lasting service for the community. We’re also extremely grateful to ILM Highland in Alness, who helped us trial the idea back in May. The event was a resounding success, with 26 items repaired, giving us a fantastic starting point for launching the Seaboard Repair Café. 

If you are unsure what a Repair Café is then we hope some of your questions are answered here below.

What is a Repair Cafe?

A Repair Café is a community event where people can bring along broken or damaged household items to see if they can be repaired and given a new lease of life.  Instead of throwing something away because it is no longer working, a Repair Café gives us the chance to see whether it can be fixed. It encourages us to repair, reuse and recycle, while also sharing practical skills and knowledge within our community.

What kind of items can be repaired?

 We hope to be able to help with a variety of everyday household items, including:

• Small household electrical items such as lamps and other small appliances
• Clothing that needs sewing, mending, or repairing
• Small household items that need a simple repair
• Computer and software and hardware issues. Advice on upgrades and free software.
• Small woodwork repairs

How do I know my electrical item is safe to use after repair?

 All electrical items will be PAT tested, where appropriate, to help ensure they are safe to use. We will have trained PAT Testers at each session to test all electrical items that we have repaired or attempted to repair.  Your item will receive a Pass Green Sticker if safe for use or a Fail Red sticker if unsafe to use.

 What does it cost?

There is no set charge for bringing an item to the Repair Café. We simply ask for a donation of your choice. Any donations received will help us to continue running the Repair Café and supporting this service for our community.

Will our café be open?

Yes! Our cafe will be open from 9.00am until 11.30am, serving breakfast items, cakes and drinks. There will also be free refreshments and biscuits for our volunteers and customers who are having an item repaired.

Why is it important to have this service?

Every year, huge numbers of household items and clothes are thrown away when they may still have plenty of useful life left in them. By repairing an item instead of replacing it, we can help reduce landfill, reduce carbon emissions, and share knowledge and skills.

Can I volunteer at the Repair Café?

Yes, absolutely! We would love to hear from anyone who would like to get involved. We already have a fantastic team of volunteers in place, but we are always keen to welcome more people with practical skills to share. In particular, we are currently looking for volunteers who can repair glasses, mend jewellery, or help with bicycle repairs, as these are areas we would love to be able to offer at future Repair Café sessions.

And you don’t need to have a particular repair skill to get involved. We also need friendly volunteers to help welcome our visitors, prepare refreshments and help create the warm, community atmosphere that we want the Repair Café to be known for.