Repair Cafe Orkney celebrates first year!

Repair Cafe Orkney is a project supported and hosted by Greener Orkney. It is a pop-up volunteer-led event that helps local people repair items that would otherwise be thrown away. Broken items are assessed and fixed (where possible) with the help of skilled volunteers. While waiting to be matched with a friendly repairer to help with their beloved item, customers can enjoy a cup of tea and fabulous homemade cakes and biscuits. There is no charge for any repairs undertaken or advice given – customers donate what they can afford which keeps the repair cafe running.

This year marks the first birthday of Repair Café Orkney, so it deserves a special mention in our newsletter. Although the island “way of life” naturally encourages people to keep objects going for as long as possible (you can’t just order another one with next-day delivery!), there was no official repair café in Orkney before May 2025. Thanks to the initiative of Anne, Dan, and a team of enthusiastic volunteers, Stromness now has its own repair cafe, which gave inspiration to residents in South Ronaldsay to start one of their own in summer 2025.

Repair cafes are a great community-led way to build resilience and challenge disposable culture. They provide tools, materials and expertise, giving customers the chance to learn repair skills while fixing their own items. They also help prevent social isolation - the “café” chats are just as important as the repairing part! Earlier this month/Last month, the Repair Café Orkney team ran a full event in Kirkwall for their first time. 17 items were brought in (14 powered and 3 unpowered), of which 9 were fixed, 6 needed specialist repairs/parts and 2 were officially declared at the end of life (so the customers can bin them guilt-free). We really hope this will be the beginning of a journey toward establishing another repair café in Kirkwall. We wish the best to Anne, Dan and all the team at Repair Café Orkney, and look forward to hearing more about their excellent work and supporting them where needed.

If you are in Orkney, why not pop by one of Repair Café Orkney’s events:

· Repair Cafe West Mainland: usually the third Saturday of the month at Stromness Community Centre, 10:00am

· Repair Cafe South Ronaldsay: usually the last Friday of the month at Cromarty Hall, St Margaret’s Hope 10:00am

For the latest information about upcoming events, and any changes to timing or venues, please check the Repair Cafe Orkney Facebook page for updates or find out more here.

Anne and Dan at the Orkney Climate Fair