Friends of the Farm( FOF) joined again with Māngere Bridge Library to hold a second Repair Café. Repair cafes are free events where local people bring in damaged or broken items and volunteers repair them. This reduces waste, saves money, and raises community awareness about waste.
Library visitors were more than double the usual Saturday number, as locals thronged to have items repaired. 91 items were examined and 68 were saved from landfill.
Electrical and sewing repairs were the most popular followed closely by the knives brought in for sharpening by local team CSF knives. Electricians Mark and Joel Swords dealt with a variety of items, from coffee makers to travel hairdryers, while three expert sewers mended ripped trousers, dresses, jackets and backpacks. A variety of wool cardigans and knitted toys were darned and repaired too.
Onehunga local Jason Johnston from Pedal Easy fixed bikes in the forecourt as well as inflating some flat soccer balls for one visitor.
Two laptop and cell phone experts dealt with a range of technology inquiries plus fixed several remote control cars, while two wastewise experts from Waste Solutions at Auckland Council answered questions on recycling.
A broken wooden table was taken away for repair by a woodworking expert while Librarian Irene Tufuga beautifully repaired heirloom books. Marie Vallance from FOF said, “I was very happy to have my hairdryer repaired, and Irene then used it to speed up drying the book glue.”
The regular Saturday morning library activities of JP visits and children’s music programme continued on uninterrupted. Homebaked treats and hot and cold drinks were available as people waited for repairs.
Special thanks to the hard working volunteers who donated their time to help others. Thanks also to our local café and restaurant Phnom Penh who generously provided hot and cold drinks for the volunteers. The Repair Café was a great success in terms of the numbers attending, the extremely positive feedback received from the community, the number of items saved from landfill plus it saved locals money too!
Keep an eye out for our next repair cafe in early 2023, and If you have any skills you think would be useful, please contact friends@fof.nz and we’ll be happy to fit you in.
Friends of the Farm has partnered with Auckland Council for ten years to deliver education and waste reduction services.
