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Wirral Repair Café is celebrating three years of fixing items for residents, having mended nearly 1,200 objects since launching in Birkenhead in July 2023.
The café began at the Wirral Deen Centre on Borough Road with support from Wirral Environmental Network. After 16 months of growing popularity, the sessions moved to the larger Birkenhead Central Library in November 2024.
The total of items repaired sits at 1,172 at the time of writing (probably more soon). Of the items, 628 were fully repaired, and 294 were partially repaired or serviced. This produces a success rate of 79 percent, according to Birkenhead News.
Common repair requests include sewing machines, lamps, and, randomly, garden shears.
But they haven't just repaired your everyday items. No, the Wirral Repair Café is sophisticated in its repairs, tackling a rocking horse, a cuckoo clock, and a Shaun the Sheep garden ornament.
Barbara Gleave, the café's chair and co-founder, said in a statement: "We are frequently asked if we are like the Repair Shop on television. Well, we don't have their budget, workshop, or hours available, but yes, we are similar.
"Where we differ though, is that visitors don't drop off their item but take it to the relevant, skilled repairer and watch how the job is done. Hopefully, members of the community learn how to do the more straightforward repairs and pass on the skills to family and friends."
The initial goal was to improve the environment by stopping items from going to landfill and reducing the demand for new products and resources to be made.
The project has bloomed and has had other benefits like saving money for residents, providing social interactions for volunteers, and offering trialled and tested recommendations for local tradespeople.
Barbara concluded: "We have grown in size and experience over the three years, and our mission is now to inspire more people to start up their own Repair Café."
If you've got something in need of a tinkle, drop by Birkenhead Central Library between 1 pm and 4 pm for the next session.
