REPAIR cafés in Somerset took centre stage at an international event.

Representatives of Community Action Groups (CAG) Somerset joined repair activists, educators, policymakers, and innovators from across the globe at Fixfest 2025 this month, an international festival for community repair, in London.

Over the course of the weekend event, urgent issues ranging from the UK’s Right to Repair legislation to digital tools for measuring impact and the wider social value of repair were explored.

And on the second day of Fixfest 2025, CAG Somerset delivered a workshop highlighting the role of repair cafés – not just as places to mend broken items, but as spaces that build resilience, nurture skills, and foster genuine community connections.

The county is home to a thriving network of more than 20 community-run repair groups, many of which are CAG Somerset members.

Jinny Uppington, CAG Somerset lead at Resource Futures, said: “Repair cafés are far more than places to fix broken toasters or sew torn jackets: they are powerful tools for strengthening community bonds, encouraging meaningful interaction, and creating local resilience.

“In an age of environmental urgency and social fragmentation, these volunteer-run spaces offer hope and hands-on solutions.”

The workshop invited attendees to reflect on how repair cafés provide:
• A sense of belonging and opportunities for connection
• Support for local skills and knowledge, providing training and learning opportunities for repairers and visitors to repair cafés
• Catalysts for wider engagement, inspiring sustainable living and community-led initiatives

Find out more about CAG Somerset – and locate your nearest repair café – online at cagsomerset.org.uk.

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