A north London repair café keeps fixing after its start-up grant

At Bowes and Bounds Green Repair Café, a start-up grant has become an ongoing place to mend belongings and meet neighbours. Organisers say volunteers and donations have kept monthly sessions running without further funding.

In a new North London Waste Authority report, the group explains that its 2024–25 grant covered initial costs. Holding sessions alongside Myddleton Road Market reduced the need for promotion; 100 items were successfully repaired during its first year.

The practical offer remains repair and shared skills. Its current group page lists electricals, clothing and textiles, with some jewellery and household repairs, at Shaftesbury Hall on the first Sunday each month.

Capacity has limits. Booked appointments take priority, and volunteers do not offer zip replacements or clothing alterations for fit. The reported repair total is a past milestone, not a guarantee that every item can be saved.

Organiser Fiona Dear says keeping sessions manageable helps them continue. That gives neighbours a recurring chance to rescue something useful and get to know people they might otherwise never meet.

Sources

• North London Waste Authority — new interviews with repair groups, 14 October
• Bowes & Bounds Repair Café — current sessions and repair limits