Repair cafe event is just the right fix

THE nationwide repair movement has reached Forres.

Broken toys, faulty electrical items and worn-out clothes were just some of the items mended last month at a Repair Café event.

The workshop was held at Transition Town Forres’ Environmental Education and Healthy Living Centre on Bogton Road.

Volunteers from Transition Town Forres, Moray Waste Busters and the T-exchange made the day possible and organiser Andrew Drummond was grateful for their help.

He said: "I hope other groups will get in touch we can bring even more on board to get Forres fixing."

The free event, encouraging people to avoid putting things in landfill bins by learning to fix them instead, was a great success, with attendees taking home newly repaired belongings.

An estimated 300,000 tonnes of clothing was sent to landfill in the UK in 2016. A report put the average life span for a piece of clothing in the uK at 3.3 years.

"Learning repair skills, such as sewing and darning, is a great way to give a new lease of life to clothes and save money," said Mr Drummond.

"After attending the Forres Repair Café, one woman was shown how to use a sewing machine and was delighted to hem a pair of curtains. The cafe also rescued electrical items such as a hand blender, a printer, and a carpet cleaner.

"A wide range of skills and stories were shared by a mix of people who just came to hang out, try the wholefood refreshments or to have a go at mending something.

"I hope more people, particularly those feeling isolated, will come along next time.

"There is plenty of space to enjoy a lively chat indoors or sit and relax in the beautiful surroundings outside."

Organisers hope to run the event the first Saturday of each month from 11am to 3pm. Wholefood refreshments will be on sale.