About Goring Repair CafÉ
The primary aim of the Goring Repair Café is to reduce waste and the unnecessary consumption of replacement products by repairing things which are often simple to fix by someone who knows what they are doing. This hopefully avoids the need to buy a replacement and therefore avoids the carbon and other the greenhouse gas emissions produced when it is manufactured and shipped, possibly half way across the world in some cases.
There are social benefits too for the community. For instance, the immense satisfaction for the owner of giving a useful item a new lease of life. It’s rewarding too for the repairers to have used their skills productively and for both parties, and the Planet, it’s win-win all round.
Another aim is to encourage people who bring in items to sit and watch the repairer attempting to identify the fault and repair it. The idea is that for some people it may help increase their confidence to attempt self-repairs in the future. You will see on the layout of the hall, there are 2 chairs in front of every repairer’s work station for this purpose.
The first event was on Saturday 1 April 2023 in Goring Village Hall and was deemed a great success when over 150 people attended, in addition to the 14 repairers and 9 other helpers. Of the 61 items brought in, 36 (60%) were successfully repaired or partially repaired and working. Of the remaining 40%, although a few items were beyond economic repair, most were unable to be repaired due mainly to the need for spare parts which were not available at the time.
There are some simple House Rules when bringing in items for repair, so please read these before you come along with an item, as these are a condition of our service.
The main costs of service are associated with the hire of the venue and the providing the basic items and services to run the event safely and efficiently. So we welcome donationsand encourage the use of Café Bellême, which is open throughout the period, to help offset these expenses.
Would you like to be a volunteer repairer? To find out what’s involved, please get in touch and we can discuss how we operate in more detail. We are particularly interested in people with an interest and repairs skills in clocks & watches, china & glass and also doll restoration, eg body repairs and re-stringing limbs.
Goring Repair Café is registered member of the International Repair Cafe Organisation, a concept which originated in the Netherlands in 2007 and has been adopted throughout the world due to the significant benefits to people and the Planet.
What to bring in
You can bring up to 2 items at each event. See a list of the types and categories of items we will attempt to repair.
What not to bring in
Basically, items that are too large or heavy for a single person to carry, eg ‘white goods’ as these are not able to be dealt with. Also, ‘safety-related’ items, such as smoke alarms and heat sensors, as these need to be certified by the manufacturer to be fit and safe for purpose.
Please note that only relatively minor repairs can be undertaken due to time constraints and the limited range of tools the repairers are able to bring with them. However, the repairers on hand will advise you, if necessary, how to complete the repairs or maintenance yourself if needed. Sharing skills is another of our aims in order to help more people consider repairing and saving some money and resources, instead of discarding broken items and buying a replacement.
There are social benefits too for the community. For instance, the immense satisfaction for the owner of giving a useful item a new lease of life. It’s rewarding too for the repairers to have used their skills productively and for both parties, and the Planet, it’s win-win all round.
Another aim is to encourage people who bring in items to sit and watch the repairer attempting to identify the fault and repair it. The idea is that for some people it may help increase their confidence to attempt self-repairs in the future. You will see on the layout of the hall, there are 2 chairs in front of every repairer’s work station for this purpose.
The first event was on Saturday 1 April 2023 in Goring Village Hall and was deemed a great success when over 150 people attended, in addition to the 14 repairers and 9 other helpers. Of the 61 items brought in, 36 (60%) were successfully repaired or partially repaired and working. Of the remaining 40%, although a few items were beyond economic repair, most were unable to be repaired due mainly to the need for spare parts which were not available at the time.
There are some simple House Rules when bringing in items for repair, so please read these before you come along with an item, as these are a condition of our service.
The main costs of service are associated with the hire of the venue and the providing the basic items and services to run the event safely and efficiently. So we welcome donationsand encourage the use of Café Bellême, which is open throughout the period, to help offset these expenses.
Would you like to be a volunteer repairer? To find out what’s involved, please get in touch and we can discuss how we operate in more detail. We are particularly interested in people with an interest and repairs skills in clocks & watches, china & glass and also doll restoration, eg body repairs and re-stringing limbs.
Goring Repair Café is registered member of the International Repair Cafe Organisation, a concept which originated in the Netherlands in 2007 and has been adopted throughout the world due to the significant benefits to people and the Planet.
What to bring in
You can bring up to 2 items at each event. See a list of the types and categories of items we will attempt to repair.
What not to bring in
Basically, items that are too large or heavy for a single person to carry, eg ‘white goods’ as these are not able to be dealt with. Also, ‘safety-related’ items, such as smoke alarms and heat sensors, as these need to be certified by the manufacturer to be fit and safe for purpose.
Please note that only relatively minor repairs can be undertaken due to time constraints and the limited range of tools the repairers are able to bring with them. However, the repairers on hand will advise you, if necessary, how to complete the repairs or maintenance yourself if needed. Sharing skills is another of our aims in order to help more people consider repairing and saving some money and resources, instead of discarding broken items and buying a replacement.
Self Help Repair Guides
Repair Cafe - Search facility for fixing almost every product, in association with iFixit.
iFixit - Comprehensive site with thousands of repair manuals
Apple - Manuals for all Apple products, including iPhones and laptops.
iDoc - Self-repair of Samsung mobile phones
iFixit - Comprehensive site with thousands of repair manuals
Apple - Manuals for all Apple products, including iPhones and laptops.
iDoc - Self-repair of Samsung mobile phones