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WHAT IS A REPAIR CAFE?

Throw it away? No way!

There are thousands of Repair Cafés globally. They're all a little bit different.

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In general, Repair Cafe's are free meeting places and they’re all about repairing things (together). Some are in temporary pop-up locations, some have a permanent home. There will tools and materials to help you make repairs to things like clothes, furniture, electrical appliances, (sometimes) bicycles, crockery, appliances, toys, etc. There will be volunteers with repair skills in all kinds of fields to share their skills.

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Visitors bring their broken items from home. Together with the specialists they start making their repairs in the Repair Café. It’s an ongoing learning process.  There are over 2,200 Repair Cafés worldwide.

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This website tells you about what we do here in Keynsham.

If you want to learn more about the International Repair Café movement, click here.

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KEYNSHAM REPAIR CAFE

LET'S FIX THIS

We’re looking forward to helping you repair your things. It’s a little different to “before” so please read and respect the requests from our volunteers, who kindly and generously give their time, materials and skills to help others in their community.

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What is the Keynsham Repair Cafe?

A pop-up, monthly repair event, with a cafe in the same venue. We're a group of volunteers who get together to share our time and skills to help others in our community to fix their stuff, for free. We typically focus on household items and clothing, to save them from landfill and save your money! Where we can't fix it, we will try to offer advice on parts, or other places to try.

 

Before Saturday

  • CLEAN IT – If you are bringing clothes or anything fabric, please wash it, and please empty hoovers. We don’t fix dirty things!

  • FIND THE BITS - Please bring any bits that have fallen off, or "spare parts" that you know will be needed, or we can suggest where you might source them - or just turn up and we'll do our best together!

  • BAG IT – please bag it and put it to one side, along with any cables, spare parts, bits that have fallen off, or anything it needs to make it work or work with.

  • If you are bringing something "unusual" to be fixed, feel free to message us first.


On Saturday

  • Come along, and register. When you register, you agree to the "Keynsham Repair Cafe House Rules & Disclaimer" - you can find the text for that below.

  • We’ll invite you into the repair room when we're ready to help you - we will be keeping the repair room as empty as possible.

  • Keep your distance, use hand gel, and please wear a mask – many of our volunteers have underlying health conditions, or care for those who do. This small request will help ensure our volunteers stay safe and can help others, as well as helping you.

  • As usual, we require that you stay with your object. Please read the rest of the info below too – more tips to help you to help us fix your object.

  • We recommend you turn up when the cafe starts to have the best chance of having your item fixed!

  • Repairs are free. A donation helps us to cover the costs of consumables our volunteer repairers use.

 

What can we fix?
Generally we fix household "stuff" and clothes. We hope to have volunteers to help with simple electrics, electronics, plus engineering (mechanical), high street jewellery, simple laptop/software and device issues, general tinkering, glue-ing and textiles (hand sewing and sewing machine).


Things we don't do

  • Microwaves (just too dangerous, sorry, unless it's a mechanical issue.)

  • Darning - it takes forever!

  • Antique stuff - we are not like "The Repair Shop" on the TV!

  • We don't do home visits.

  • We don't take things home to fix.

  • We don't take donations of stuff or items in for us to sell/store/give away.

 

Where are we?

Usually we are in the Baptist Church, Keynsham High Street. If the weather is good, we will register people outside. The Church café will be open for tea, coffee, cake and bacon rolls.

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When did Keynsham Repair Cafe start?

After a trial run by Transition Keynsham, Keynsham Repair Cafe held its first event on 14h September 2019, and then monthly, with a "Super Repair Cafe" on 14th March 2020. Events were then suspended during the first part of the pandemic. 

We re-started the Keynsham Repair Cafe on 14th May 2022, and hope to be able to hold them again monthly, running slightly differently to before - see info above.

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Who is behind Keynsham Repair Cafe?

We're all volunteers, and help each other to help you. Chat to Gwen, Deb, Steve, Sarah, Josh... and many more! Come along and talk with anyone of us! We'll have name badges on at the events.


#KeynshamSpecialSecondSaturday

The second Saturday of the month also welcomes, #KeynshamFarmersMarket to the town, plus Wild About Flowers usually have a courtyard market when the weather is good.


Would you like to volunteer?

Please get in touch, or come and talk to us during a Repair Cafe: keynshamrepaircafe@gmail.com

Can't fix stuff but want to help? Let us know. We could do with a hand with social media, cake making, setting up and tidying away - there is always somethign which needs doing.
Thank you!

 

KEYNSHAM REPAIR CAFE HOUSE RULES & DISCLAIMER

Please confirm your agreement by signing the registration form.

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I understand that,

  1. I bring items to be repaired at my own risk. All repairs and advice given are free of charge, and carried out by unpaid volunteers. The organisers of the Keynsham Repair Café, the repairers, and the venue take no responsibility in any form if the item can’t be repaired, the repair doesn’t last, the item doesn’t work properly, or the item is accidentally damaged in the course of the attempted repair. Also, they’re not responsible for any loss or injury resulting from the repair or advice, or any accidental damage or loss.

  2. Before my item is assessed I need to complete the registration form.

  3. Repairers may choose not to attempt to repair my item. This could be for safety or any other reason.  Sometimes a professional repair service is needed. If we can, we’ll suggest a local provider.   

  4. Repairers may take my item apart and not put it back together again.  For example if the item is unsafe or broken beyond repair.

  5. If batteries, leads, plugs, fuses, zips or other ‘consumables’ are needed, I need to provide them. 

  6. I have to stay with the repairer while my repair is being carried out. (If you can work with the repairer and pick up new skills, that’s even better!)

  7. I have to take my item away with me when I leave, even if it’s not been possible to fix it.

  8. If I have more than one item, it will be looked at if repairers have time, but I will have to go to the back of the queue if there is one.

  9. If I’ve brought children with me, I’m responsible for their behaviour and safety. Dangerous tools and equipment are sometimes used in repairs.

  10. Photographs or video may be taken at the Repair Café for publicity purposes.  If I don’t want photographs or video of me to be used in this way, I will let the organisers know. If I choose to leave an email address I will be added to a mailing list for updates about upcoming Repair Cafes.


I have read, understood and agreed to abide by the above house rules / disclaimer.

 

 

Signature of Customer & Date ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 

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