Silsden Repair Café is a member of Repair Café International, and part of a growing, global network of Repair Cafes, first started in Amsterdam in 2010. We run the award winning Silsden Repair Café on the third Saturday of every month (please check for updates as this date may change to avoid major holidays) at 9.30am – 12pm at Silsden Methodist Church. The Repair Café is volunteer run. We have volunteer electricians, mechanics, sewists, bike repairers, jewellery repairers (nothing too valuable please), and furniture restorers. We also have ‘miscellaneous’ volunteers with a variety of skills who will have a go at repairing most things. We can also sharpen everyday items, including kitchen knives, secateurs and garden shears. Our ‘general’ volunteers help to keep the event running smoothly. We are able to help with over 90% of items brought to the Repair Café.
How does it work
There’s no need to book, just turn up on the day with your item. Once we have ‘checked you in’, we will ask you to wait in the café area until a volunteer repairer becomes free. When it’s your turn, we ask you to sit with the repairer whilst they mend your item as one of our aims is to upskill people and our volunteer will talk you through what they are doing. There is no cost. We simply request a donation of whatever you can afford. Please note we don’t accept repairs after 11.45am and would suggest you aim to arrive before 11am.
What we can’t do
We don’t make clothes alterations e.g. we won’t shorten trousers, and we don’t repair computers or mobile phones. Local businesses can help with these. The Repair Café can get very busy and, to ensure everyone gets a fair turn, if you bring more than one item for repair, we’ll ask you to rejoin the queue after your first item has been repaired.
