Repair cafe launches in bid to rid Diss of throw-away society

A repair cafe – helping people to fix their household items instead of having to throw them away has launched in Diss.

Set inside designermakers 21 in St Nicholas Street, the initiative – organised by Gary Alexander and Di Bellingham – hopes to help reduce the number of items going to landfill by giving them a new lease of life.

The first official cafe, after three trials at No.8 Marketplace in the town over the spring, took place on September 7.

“This first cafe was really promising,” said Mr Alexander. “We had a few items, including a broken umbrella, a lamp and a watering can with a hole in it.

“We had a lot of nice conversations with people – it was very sociable.

“The hope is that, as more people find out about it, the cafe will grow.”

The idea came about a year and a half ago at the Green Fair on the town’s Fair Green.

“We had a stall there and we asked people what sort of things they wanted for a greener community.

“The first was a community space, which prompted No.8 to start, and the second was a repair cafe.”

Unlike the BBC’s Repair Shop, the cafe is about helping people repair their own items through a little help.

“We are trying to get away from a throw-away society,” said Mr Alexander. “We’re here to help items last longer and ensure they can be repaired if they break,” he said.

The cafe is looking to do a workshop on bike maintenance and one on how to sharpen tools and knives in the future.

The Repair Cafe will take place at Designermakers 21 on the first Saturday of every month, with the next one on October 5.