Repair Café opened on Saturday with 11 volunteers

Honiton's first Repair Café took place on Saturday June 18 and it was a great success.

The organiser, Miriam Thomas, told Nub News: "I am thrilled at how well our first Honiton Repair Cafe went. To achieve such a high percentage of repairs on our first Café is admirable. Not many Repair Cafe's would have had to tackle a generator - and won!

"It is amazing what a community can achieves when everyone pulls together. I would like to add my thanks to Sheena, for taking over at short notice and all the great volunteers who gave her valuable support,

"I can't wait for July to meet more of the public and hopefully have more volunteers to enjoy the experience of a community event."

11 volunteers came together to repair computers, wooden articles, bikes, toys and sewn items. Three repairs worked together to repair a generator which someone had brought in.

The event was the idea of Miriam Thomas, who organised the venue and found the volunteers. She was helped by Sheena King who was at the event on Saturday.

A client who came to Saturday's event said that it was friendly and another said she would be back with more contributions to be fixed.

Miriam has other ideas which she thinks will be of benefit for Honiton. Her 'Community Action Group' hopes to make the town a greener place, for example by becoming a Hedgehog Campion Town.

Miriam told Nub News about the philosophy behind her café: "Many local towns and villages have successful repair cafes: they act as community hubs, and we exchange skills and talent, which we all have, and we're rewarded with improved health and wellbeing.

"Recycling, reusing, and repairing items is so important on so many levels. We only have this planet; each individual can do something to protect and preserve it."

More volunteers are needed to help at the cafes, which will take place each month.

You can find out more information, or volunteer your services, by contacting [email protected] or [email protected]