FYLDE REPAIR CAFE C.I.C……..

What is it? Who are you? Where are you? Why do i need this?

We get asked these questions all the time so lets try and answer them!

We are a social enterprise based in Blackpool. A skill sharing project, aiming to empower communities by enabling every Fylde household to learn skills in order to become more sustainable. We bring together local people with amazing skills alongside those who are keen to learn or brush up on an unused skill.

The idea behind a Repair Cafe is a worldwide concept, providing an open house for our local communities to bring their broken, unloved items to be donated or learning how to fix or re-purpose the item.

The attendee is learning a skill which can be passed on again to family members/friends and our trusted volunteer programme will also include community group members.

Our Trusted Volunteers are on hand at the free drop-in sessions, to share their skills on how to fix or re-purpose the item you bring along. Our Volunteers include: Community group members, Artists, Creatives, Engineers, Joiners, Retired or Unemployed Skilled members, plus we have Students from BF&C Fashion courses, Blackpool Sixth I.T courses who are completing work placements with us and they are a fantastic part of our Trusted Volunteer Programme.

We also encourage the retired, unemployed, bereaved, isolated or lonely to benefit from the positive interactions our workshops bring, plus the additional feeling of value brought by sharing their vital skills with a new generation.

Our aim is to create multi-generational connections across those isolated communities with an eco-element of reducing our local landfill. We encourage children and families to attend all of our sessions.

The main themes of our sessions are Sewing/Knit, Furniture Fix & Re-purpose, Gardening (Re-growing), Bikes, Tech sessions (to install programmes, apps, phone issues, laptop issues)

We have a different theme for our sessions, which travel around communities, giving everyone access to workshops and tools if anyone has a project, potentially giving employment to our skilled volunteers, enabling sales of fixed items to bring revenue back to the project, schools to use the facilities encouraging re-use ,re-purpose, re-cycle mindset at an early age.

This year we will build on connections with partners such as The Old Electric, More Positive Together, Blackpool Community Trust, Leftcoast, Blackpool Council and Blackpool Coastal Housing which we hope will bring much needed support to help sustain the project. We are also working towards connections with schemes which help develop skills for groups of young adults or single parents to create a Home using the skill learnt at the sessions.

 We have so far been self sufficient, surviving on donations, volunteers and free venues but now we move into exploring funding opportunities so we can begin to offer a full programme of events for the next 12months…..keep em peeled for news on this!

If you are interested in joining our Repair Revolution then do get in touch through any of the Social Media platforms, Email or fill in the Contact Form on the next page.

UPCOMING EVENTS: