Two big cats, worms and an old-fashioned hairdryer hood are just some of the things you may see at Lindfield Repair Café!
The hairdryer hood, bought in the 1970’s, was still being used regularly by a 92-year-old lady. It was so old that her son doubted its safety. However, when brought to the Café for PAT testing (to ensure electrical safety and compliance), it passed with flying colours and was deemed safe for continued use. As we often say, they certainly made things properly in those days. PAT testing is just one of the services we offer at our monthly Saturday morning events. So, if you have an old electrical item which hasn’t been tested, bring it in. You will hopefully find it is safe to use for many years to come, meaning you won’t need to spend money replacing it and you won’t need to send it to landfill!
On to the big cats…one old toy tiger was brought in by Fran to be given a new lease of life. He was a gift to her when she was a little girl, from her dear brother, who tragically passed away at a young age, making the tiger even more precious to her. With expert treatment by volunteer repairer Susan, who re-plumped his tummy which had become flat with cuddling, Tig went home looking and feeling much better with many more years of cuddles ahead of him.
Luckily, the visiting worms were confined to their wonderful wormery, brought in by Fairer World Lindfield, who came in as our local Community Project to show visitors how to reduce their carbon footprint. The wormery was used to demonstrate how earthworms can work with microscopic life to turn raw kitchen waste into rich compost and liquid plant feed.
Whether you are a regular or occasional visitor, or if you’re coming along for the first time, we would love to meet you. Bring your items for repair or just pop in to see what it’s all about. You may even like to join our fantastic team of volunteers. There are many different roles, as well as repairers, so you don’t need any particular skills to come on board.
PLEASE NOTE: THERE WILL BE NO REPAIR CAFÉ IN APRIL AS THE CHURCH IS BEING USED FOR EASTER SERVICES.
Our next event will be on Saturday 2nd May and you might like to bring along garden tools to be sharpened or bikes to be checked, as well as spring clothing that may need some tlc.
Our activity in the Kids’ Room will be cutting, printing and making shape pictures using old photos.
ALL REPAIRS MUST BE CHECKED IN BY 12.3OPM FOR COMPLETION BY CLOSING AT 1PM PLEASE
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Computer Advice at Lindfield Repair Café:
We don’t carry spares, so physical repairs aren’t usually practical, and the aim is not to compete with local professional services, but we can help with technical issues that may be making you think about replacing your device prematurely. Don’t forget the power supply!
Recycling Collection Points at the Café:
- Used Candle Wax for recycling by the Candle Lady
- Empty Printer Cartridges
Household Refills:
Andi Frost regularly parks her Fill Good refill van outside the Repair Café. Bring along your empty containers to stock up on a wide range of store cupboard, cleaning essentials and much more. Find out more at Fill Good Store
Forthcoming events:
There will be no Repair Café in April as our date clashes with Easter Weekend
Saturday 2nd May
Saturday 6th June
Saturday 4th July
No Repair Café in August
MEND everyday items, RESTORE family treasures, SAVE money, REDUCE waste,
VISIT Lindfield Repair Cafe
Lindfield Repair Cafe is open on the first Saturday of the month at the
United Reformed Church, 50 High Street, Lindfield, RH16 2HL from 10am to 1pm.
Please check our website/social media pages for the latest updates (details below).
Note: Lindfield Repair Café volunteers cannot guarantee that every item will be repaired, but they will always have a go if possible! Spare parts for repairs are not supplied so if you need a new zip or bulb fitted it may be worth purchasing one before you come along.
There is a collection point for Haywards Heath Food Bank at the venue, so visitors may drop off donations when they visit.
Text by Nicola Coughlin
