50 items brought, 1.7 tonnes of embodied carbon saved, 42 items fixed and £4,242.95 saved; this is what our third successful repair café at Brent Cross Town looked last Sunday 22 February.

More than 70 Barnet residents, including many from the Brent Cross Cricklewood area, made use of Barnet Council’s free community repair café, helping to prevent waste, reduce carbon emissions and protect the environment.

This time round, we saw an even greater selection of items brought in for a new life, including steamers, clothes, mini heaters, and a coffee machine. For the small number whose items couldn’t be fixed, our talented volunteers offered practical advice on what they should do, what to bring with them next time, or how to safely dispose of them.

We were also joined by Power Up, North London’s non-profit organisation supporting local communities tackle climate change. As attendees enjoyed tea and biscuits whilst repairs were happening, they received free advice on household energy-saving, tackling damp, reducing carbon waste, and were signposted to other helpful Barnet services.

Ana, who lives in Golders Green, also a few minutes away from Brent Cross Town, came down with her family to try save her much-loved coffee machine. Whilst her children got to explore Claremont Park, she was able to get her seven-year-old coffee machine working again. Ana shared with us in excitement, “I have coffee again! I’m so happy with the service today, I was ready to drop this machine off at the recycling centre, but when I saw an advert on Facebook about this repair café, it made sense to at least try have an expert look at it, and for free!”

For Trisha, who lives on Claremont Road, it was her first time going to a repair café. Her old fan heater was fixed in just a few minutes after which she said “I’m glad I came today, everyone was very helpful, I really appreciate it. Having my heater fixed is really a no-brainer to save some money and a trip to the skip.”

Cricklewood resident, Kym, was able to have his bike fixed after a flat tyre and brake problems. Kym told us, “I never knew this was something Barnet Council offered, I think it’s a great initiative and I recommend anyone with a broken item to give it a try before going to your local skip.”

Romena from Edgware had a double success with her paper shredder which was brought back to life, and her son’s jumper looking good as new. Romena said “today has been so productive and having my son’s jumper fixed really means a lot to me as it was handmade with love by his grandma. A big thank you to the seamstresses for their help.”

Whilst we took a snapshot of resident stories who came by the cafe, live illustrator, Beatrice Cohenbaum, beautifully captured the spirit of the event, people and the area in a creative style.

Barnet Council is committed to becoming one of London’s most sustainable boroughs, and we encourage you to join us on this journey. Learn more about how Barnet is becoming more sustainable here.