Gosport community comes together to support local repair charity

Repair Cafe Gosport, located in Unit 5, Quay Lane, Hardway, aims to mend household items. Locals can contact the organisation via its website to arrange for an item to be fixed.

During the monthly event, volunteers repaired 15 items including a lamp, a cuckoo clock and a bicycle, which prevented 37 kg of waste and 256 kg of CO2 emissions.

Gosport MP Caroline Dinenage gave a £250 donation at the event, saying that there is ‘something really special’ about the charity, adding that it ‘works on so many levels’, especially during current cost of living pressures.

The MP also called the Repair Cafe a ‘lovely community group’, and said that this sense of camaraderie is ‘Gosport’s superpower’.

The Gosport Rotary Club donated a video microscope to the volunteers, with vice-president Lesley Brunink saying they are ‘all for helping the smaller organisations’, and added that the Repair Cafe is a ‘worthwhile cause’.

Keith Brady, chair of Repair Cafe Gosport, emphasised how the microscope will aid them in teaching visitors how to fix items for themselves, saying ‘this particular donation aligns with what we do really well’.

The Mayor of Gosport, Councillor Martin Pepper, also attended the event to thank the volunteers for their service.

Cllr Pepper highlighted the environmental importance of the Repair Cafe, saying that we must do ‘whatever we can’ to extend the life of items and stop them from going to landfill.

The Mayor added that the older generation should be ashamed of the ‘untold damage’ they have caused to the environment, and he hopes that the charity will inspire youngsters to get involved.