Welcome to the Stonehouse Repair Café

The Stonehouse Repair Café is a friendly, community‑powered space where you can bring your broken household items and see them brought back to life. Whether it’s a lamp that stopped shining, a toaster that’s lost its spark, a favourite jumper with a tear, or a wobbly chair, our skilled volunteers are here to help you get it fixed—and show you how it’s done.

Watch, Learn, and Be Part of the Repair

One of the unique things about the Repair Café is that you’re invited to sit with the repairer and watch the process unfold. You can ask questions, pick up new skills, and gain the confidence to tackle simple fixes yourself in the future. It’s not just about the end result—it’s about learning, empowerment, and enjoying the shared experience of problem‑solving.

Keeping Items Out of Landfill

Every repaired item is one less thing thrown away. Repairing instead of replacing reduces waste, saves resources, and helps protect the environment. Many broken items still have plenty of life left in them—sometimes they just need a new part, a stitch, a clean‑up, or a little expert attention. By choosing to repair, you’re taking a simple but powerful step toward a more sustainable way of living.

Strengthening Community Connections

The Repair Café is also a place for conversation, connection, and neighbourly support. People of all ages and backgrounds come together to share knowledge, learn new skills, and help one another. Whether you’re bringing an item to be fixed, offering your skills as a volunteer, or simply enjoying a cup of tea while you watch the magic happen, you’re contributing to a community space built on generosity and collaboration.

Working alongside Plymouth Play & Scrapstore and Borrow Don’t Buy, Timebank South West members are able to provide ‘Timebanking in action’ at our monthly Repair Cafes.

I just think that, if I can discover how to fix something, and then share that information with the owner, they can then learn how to fix it themselves in the future. Helping others help themselves. – Simon

Join Us

Whether you need help with a broken item, want to learn how things work, or simply want to be part of a welcoming community space, the Stonehouse Repair Café is here for you.

Come along, get involved, and help keep good things in use and out of the bin.

Why Repairing Matters: The Benefits

Fixing items instead of discarding them brings a wide range of benefits:

Saves money – Repairing is often far more affordable than buying new, extending the life of valuable belongings.
Reduces waste – Fewer broken items ending up in landfill means less pollution and a smaller carbon footprint.
Builds skills and confidence – Seeing how repairs are done helps you learn, try new things, and feel more capable with hands‑on tasks.
Preserves cherished items – Some things have sentimental value that replacement can’t match. Repair keeps memories alive.
Strengthens community – Sharing skills and time brings people together, creates friendships, and encourages mutual support.
Promotes sustainability – Repairing is a simple everyday action that contributes to a more sustainable, circular economy.