First ever Coquetdale Repair Café set to take place in Rothbury

The idea is to combine fun and learning with reducing waste. Have your broken items repaired, or learn to repair them yourself, with the help of friendly volunteers.

It takes place on Saturday, September 10 at the Jubilee Hall, in Rothbury, from 10am to 2pm. Tea and cakes provided.

The organisers made a pitch to the North of Tyne Community Fund who donated £1,999 to the project.

Rothbury Parish Council has also been very generous, as have local residents.

In all, the group raised almost £5,000 to allow the Repair Café to go ahead and the intention is to take it to the more remote villages in Upper Coquetdale in the future.

Rothbury CAN raised the idea after members read about the initiative.

Elke Meiborg took the reins and, along with other members, has worked tirelessly to make it a reality.

She explains: “If things are broken, people can bring them to our repair café and volunteers will be on hand, seated at tables around the hall. You will be allocated an appropriate volunteer repairer, and they will either repair your item, or show you how to do it yourself.”

Katie Scott, co-ordinator of Rothbury CAN, added: “We are all trying to move away from being a ‘throw away’ society. This project aims to offer a friendly social setting for the local community to meet, and help one another to stop items going to landfill, in an effort to return to the ‘make do and mend’ mentality which we believe, should never have disappeared.”