Open Door Repair Café - first Saturday morning of every month
Throw it away? No way!
Do you have something that needs fixing? Prefer to mend it than throw it away?
The Open Door Repair Café takes place on the first Saturday of every month, 9:30-12:30, at Open Door, on Berkhamsted High Street.
You're invited to pop in with your broken things and let our experts take a look – you can even enjoy a cuppa and a cake whilst you wait – either inside, or in our lovely garden.
We ask for a voluntary donation in exchange for your repair, and any refreshments - all donations (after costs) will go towards the running of Open Door - your donations are very much appreciated.
We will have a range of expert repairers available each month, such as:
Please do check the What's on page and social media for which experts will be there that month, or get in touch if you have a really specialist item to be repaired.
We think Repair Cafes are a brilliant idea, not least because they reduce waste and CO2, but also because they bring the community together to share skills and help each other out. We can't wait to see you and your broken items!
Do you have something that needs fixing? Prefer to mend it than throw it away?
The Open Door Repair Café takes place on the first Saturday of every month, 9:30-12:30, at Open Door, on Berkhamsted High Street.
You're invited to pop in with your broken things and let our experts take a look – you can even enjoy a cuppa and a cake whilst you wait – either inside, or in our lovely garden.
We ask for a voluntary donation in exchange for your repair, and any refreshments - all donations (after costs) will go towards the running of Open Door - your donations are very much appreciated.
We will have a range of expert repairers available each month, such as:
- electricals
- ceramics
- sewing and textiles
- bicycles
- jewellery
- glassware
Please do check the What's on page and social media for which experts will be there that month, or get in touch if you have a really specialist item to be repaired.
We think Repair Cafes are a brilliant idea, not least because they reduce waste and CO2, but also because they bring the community together to share skills and help each other out. We can't wait to see you and your broken items!
Can you help?
Do you have a talent for fixing electrical, electronic or mechanical items, garden tools, bicycles, textiles, jewellery or clothing - or something else entirely? If so and you'd like to help at our monthly repair sessions, we'd love to hear from you.
For more information and a friendly chat, please email [email protected]. Together we can help the environment and our community.
We are also always looking for volunteers to help 'front of house', helping delivering items to the repairing stations, or serving drinks etc in our community café (either during Repair Café or our usual operation, Monday - Saturday 10:30-3:30). Please email [email protected] for more information.
For more information and a friendly chat, please email [email protected]. Together we can help the environment and our community.
We are also always looking for volunteers to help 'front of house', helping delivering items to the repairing stations, or serving drinks etc in our community café (either during Repair Café or our usual operation, Monday - Saturday 10:30-3:30). Please email [email protected] for more information.
How does it work?
- On the first Saturday of every month, between 9:30-12:30, Repair Café takes place at Open Door in Berkhamsted - anyone is welcome to bring in any broken goods - just pop in, no need to book or contact us in advance.
- You will be welcomed at the front door by a volunteer who will check in your item, take some brief details from you, and fill in a slip about your broken item.
- They will pass you to another volunteer who will assign your item to a volunteer repairer, who will try and fix your item. At busy times there may be no repairers free, in which case your item will be placed in a queue.
- Whilst your item is being fixed / in the queue, you are welcome to either stay and watch, and learn from the repairers, pop downstairs for a coffee, cake or soup in our donations café on the ground floor, or pop back later, if you need (we ask that you please come back by 12:30 though).
- When your item has been worked on, the repairer will return it to the welcome desk, where we will find you and explain what has been done.
- As you leave, please give us back the slip of paper, allow us to take a quick 'fixed at Open Door Repair Café' photo if you're happy, and don’t forget to leave your donation in the pot, or give a card payment - thank you!
- Please note that large / complex repairs can take some time, so please bring those as early as possible - with 11:45 being the latest. Thank you!
Stories from Open Door Repair Café....
- The very first thing to be fixed at Open Door's first ever Repair Café in October 2021, was a table football rod, brought in by a paid of young brothers. Look how delighted they were with their repair!
- Berkhamsted resident Jules McEachran brought in a broken blender, and was delighted with the result: “One of the lovely repairers took a look at it. He diagnosed the fault and set about fixing it. I went away with a working blender, that I was going to throw away! Thank you to the Open Door Repair Café - a great idea!"
- An Open Door volunteer brought in another blender, which sadly couldn't be fixed due to them often being 'sealed', but then Repair Café Manager Richard remembered that he had the same one, but with a broken blade attachment - so the two working parts from each blender were put together - and now work brilliantly!
- “One lady had kept hold of a fantastic child’s coat for five years as the zip was broken so she couldn’t donate it or give it to anyone, but she couldn’t bring herself to throw it away. Within 15 minutes our repairer Gill (pictured right) fixed it on her sewing machine and off she went to give the coat to a friend for her daughter to use. We want to make these occurrences as accessible as possible, hence our donations policy, so that anyone can bring their items in for repair whatever their circumstances. ”
