Share and Repair Bath is set to mark International Repair Day on Saturday 16th October with a special café in Larkhall to highlight the benefits of repair for local people and the environment.
The Share and Repair Shop is based on George Street in Bath | Photo © Bath Share and Repair
International Repair Day is held on the third Saturday of October and celebrates the power of community repair to prevent waste and share skills.
Beyond community repair, International Repair Day celebrates local repair shops and people taking initiatives to say no to electrical waste, as well as companies that provide repair information, spare parts and tools.
Across the country, more than 200 groups are already offering repairs to their local community and more are forming every month.
Lorna Montgomery, Founding Trustee of Share and Repair Bath, said: “People in Bath/ Larkhall and across the country are coming together to repair, and discovering something positive and practical we can all do now to help each other and the planet.
“Lamps, small kitchen gadgets, devices, clothes and bikes are often easily fixed, but many people don’t know where to start.
“At The Oriel Hall Larkhall, we have lots of local volunteers with the right knowhow who are willing to help.
“If we can keep good household items working longer, it saves all the materials and emissions needed to make something new. So we are not only helping each other but doing our bit to tackle the climate emergency.
“In these uncertain times, people are looking for ways to re-connect with their community, to save money and live more sustainably.
“Community repair events bring people together to help each other, share skills, cut waste and the use of resources, and can help the Bath community play its part in tackling the climate emergency.”
A new briefing, published by The Restart Project, shows the Larkhall repair cafe is part of a growing tide of repair groups showing the benefits of repair to local communities.
The briefing highlighted:
- Manufacturing and extracting materials, including for new products, is responsible for up to 50% of all greenhouse gas emissions worldwide.
- The UK is the world’s second-biggest producer of electronic waste per capita. Per person, we create 23.9kg of electronic waste each year.
- Repair, reuse and remaking could create 450,000 green jobs across the country.
- 75% of the public think the UK Government should ensure products are easier to repair.
James Pickstone, from The Restart Project, said: “More and more communities are discovering the benefits of repair and together, doing something that could have real and positive climate impact.
“But we need repair-friendly policies to make it much easier for people to get things fixed and unlock all those benefits to our communities, the economy and the planet.
“That’s why we urgently need a real Right to Repair enshrined in law.”
