The Clean Earth Trust launches a regular series of Monthly Pop-up Repair Cafes, which will take place every first Saturday of the month. Alongside the launch, the Trust has adopted the Guernsey Clothes Swap into the Repair Cafe community project and will be adding this offering to the forthcoming series.
The monthly events will start from the 7th August and take place from 10:30 – 14:00 on the 2nd floor of the new Health Connections Re-Loved Living Store in Market Square. These events are open to the public and provide a sociable environment where people can meet with volunteer fixers to mend and refurbish clothing, textiles, small electrical goods and household items.
Through the receipt of recent funding via Guernsey Electricity’s Power to the People scheme and the Social Invest Fund, The Trust is able to start expanding the project and is preparing for a permanent workshop space this winter.
Helen Quin, Community Engagement comments, “This project has such exciting scope and has been so warmly welcomed by supporting organisations, in particular Health Connections, who have kindly offered us with regular pop up space. We want to make repairing accessible to everyone and an integral part of daily life, so the first thought when something breaks is to fix it, instead of throwing it away and buying new. The Trust is growing at pace and welcoming The Guernsey Clothes Swap into the team continues to bring the repair, reuse and repurpose message to life.”
The clothes swap will run alongside the Repair Café. Participants can either bring items to swap directly or purchase credits if they have no clothes to swap. The swap costs £2 to take part, £5 without items to swap and £2 for a credit. Womenswear, menswear, shoes and accessories are all welcome and items should be of wearable quality. For any pieces that need a stitch or two, volunteer seamstresses will be on hand to make repairs.
Jenny Murphy of Guernsey Clothes Swap explains, “I started the Guernsey Clothes Swap in 2019 in response to local demand. It has become really popular, with hundreds of items of clothing swapped and kept out of landfill over the last 2 years. We are really pleased to be coming under the Clean Earth Trust banner, as our ethos fits firmly within their vision.”
To ensure time is allocated to repairs, participants are encouraged to book a ticket in advance on Eventbrite. With expert guidance, participants are invited to get involved in the repair process as much as possible, so they can leave with hands-on experience for the future.
The Clean Earth Trust team will also be onsite to assist and welcome any donations of broken clothing, good quality fabrics, buttons, zips and other sewing materials which can be used for future upcycling projects. Home-made cakes and hot drinks will be on sale.
For questions and queries, email repaircafe@cleanearthtrust.org
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