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Article – Why we care about repair: the importance of championing repair in our communities

Repair has been at the heart of London’s diverse communities for generations. It makes a lot more sense to fix what we already have than chuck it away and buy more. Whilst repair itself is nothing new, the groundswell of interest in repair as a solution to economic, social and environmental challenges is.

Here in London, we’re lucky to have a wealth of repair services on our doorstep: from repair cafes that bring people together to learn new skills, to independent repair services fixing anything from phones to jewellery right on our high streets.

Our campaign, London Recycles, hosts an annual Repair Week every March to shine a spotlight on the capital’s burgeoning repair community and highlight accessible and affordable options available year-round to revive our much-loved stuff.

Year on year, we’ve seen a significant increase in engagement in our Repair Weeks, with 2024 hitting our highest numbers yet – boasting over 140 events and 70 active partners. We like to shout about the impact too: 97% of Repair Week 2024 event attendees said they’re now more likely to repair things (themselves or through a service) than throw them out.

Our insights showed that this growing interest in repair was due to the cost-of-living crisis, with 71% of Londoners surveyed telling us that they wanted to develop some repair skills to save cash.

In 2024 however we saw a shift in repair motivations. Social impacts of repair came to the fore, with many events held during the week being used by attendees for community-building and social connection. Much like the cost-of-living crisis, the loneliness epidemic in London is a pressing issue and is now considered to be one of the largest public health challenges we face. According to the Campaign to End Loneliness, one in twelve Londoners are ‘severely lonely’, a state that makes them more vulnerable to poor mental health, sleep problems and elevated blood pressure, as well as negatively impacting their education and/or employment which makes the need for community-based events and meet-up opportunities all the more important. [1]

One of our 2024 Repair Heroes, Monday Mending Club, is a prime example of the power of repair in offering an avenue for social connection. The sessions bring together people from Walthamstow and the surrounding area to meet new people, enjoy a chat over a drink, all whilst learning new sewing skills in a friendly environment. Monday Mending Club founder, Mika Sembongi, set it up as a reaction to the climate crisis, but the co-benefits of these sessions have evolved and expanded. Following a recent mending session, Mika said: ‘It’s so lovely to take some time off to slow down, relax for a few hours and chat with friends – it’s a bonus that we come away with our clothes mended at the end.

We’re not saying repair is a cure-all, but we’ve seen the potential of repair in lightening the weight of the thorny and interconnected issues that our communities face – and that’s exactly why we continue to champion repair in London and beyond.

For Repair Week 2025, we’re thrilled to partner with five other UK cities and regions: Belfast, County Durham, Cardiff, Greater Manchester and Liverpool City Region, as well as Northern Ireland more broadly through their Resources Network. Each of them will host their own Repair Week – engaging community groups, local authorities, repair businesses, non-profits and citizens to support a UK-wide repair revolution.

We’re currently looking for Repair Week 2025 event partners in London. If you’re interested in hosting a repair session or providing a venue for one, please get in touch. For more information and to download our partner pack, visit our Repair Week website. Happy mending!

Repair Week 2025 will take place 3-9th March. London events will be listed on the Repair Week website from February onwards.

[1] https://www.campaigntoendloneliness.org/facts-and-statistics/

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