{"id":43988,"date":"2026-01-03T03:47:28","date_gmt":"2026-01-03T03:47:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/news.godj.com\/news\/pre-loved-items-getting-new-lease-of-life-in-northern-ireland\/"},"modified":"2026-01-03T03:47:28","modified_gmt":"2026-01-03T03:47:28","slug":"pre-loved-items-getting-new-lease-of-life-in-northern-ireland","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/news.godj.com\/news\/pre-loved-items-getting-new-lease-of-life-in-northern-ireland\/","title":{"rendered":"Pre-loved items getting new lease of life in Northern Ireland"},"content":{"rendered":"


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\"BBCBBC News<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n

Alison and Roz used their sewing skills to repair kilts, dressing gowns and sequins<\/figcaption><\/p>\n<\/figure>\n
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A puppet without strings rests limply on the countertop, while a robot hoover remains silent, no suction to be heard.<\/p>\n

A family plate lies in pieces \u2013 toppled from its prized place on the wall.<\/p>\n

Yet, a black bin bag was not in store for these sorry items, as each made its way in to the capable hands of a “fixer” at Toome’s very first repair cafe.<\/p>\n

Volunteers at the County Antrim cafe have been busy sewing, gluing and painting to restore them to their former glory.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

What is a repair cafe?<\/h2>\n<\/p>\n
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Repair cafes are pop-up community events where people can bring their broken items and volunteers will try their best to fix them.<\/p>\n

The idea was born in Amsterdam in 2009 with the hopes of cutting waste and building community.<\/p>\n

The concept made its way to Northern Ireland in February 2018, when the first event was held in a community centre in South Belfast.<\/p>\n

Since then, 14 branches have opened or are set to open in Northern Ireland.<\/p>\n

They hold their place among 2,500 repair cafes worldwide.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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\"BBCBBC news<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n

Daniel Robinson was delighted to see his family name plate restored<\/figcaption><\/p>\n<\/figure>\n
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Repair cafe Antrim and Newtownabbey hosts regular pop-ups across.<\/p>\n

The most recent event saw fixers descend on the Tidal centre in the village of Toome with sewing machines and screwdrivers at the ready.<\/p>\n

Daniel Robinson arrived with a family name plate that had seen better days.<\/p>\n

It was one of six plates commissioned for each of six sisters in the family by a relative from America.<\/p>\n

Daniel inherited this piece of family history.<\/p>\n

It took pride of place on the wall until it was accidentally knocked off.<\/p>\n

“I picked as many pieces as I could and it was put up into the roof space. It’s been there for five years”, he said.<\/p>\n

But it was not over for this heirloom.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

‘It’s more than words can say’<\/h2>\n<\/p>\n
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The task of reassembling the plate was assigned to fixer Sean O’Shea who has been volunteering with the group for six years.<\/p>\n

“We’re through the worst of it now, we’ve glued together the bigger pieces, but there are a few fragments missing,” Sean said.<\/p>\n

He put some fine epoxy filler in and gold nail polish to restore the item.<\/p>\n

Daniel said he was “delighted” with the repair.<\/p>\n

“It’s more than words can say, because there’s a lot of sentimental value in it for me”, he said.<\/p>\n

“All the grandchildren would have been held up to the plate and said: ‘Night night’ to God before my mother put them to bed.<\/p>\n

“Lots of memories are flooding back now.”<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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\"RepairRepair Cafe Antrim and Newtownabbey<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n

Fixed! A success story for Toome Repair Cafe<\/figcaption><\/p>\n<\/figure>\n
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There is also a social aspect to the meet-ups, as the community gathers for hot drinks and baked goods.<\/p>\n

Seamstresses Alison Kirk and Roz Bashford met at a Repair Cafe a few years ago and now frequently combine their skills to take on Antrim and Newtownabbey’s fabric needs.<\/p>\n

“You meet people that you didn’t know before, but they’re like minded and that’s the joy,” Alison said.<\/p>\n

Having learnt to mend fabric at a young age, the women said clothing should not be viewed as disposable.<\/p>\n

“I have done somebody’s jumper that was so threadbare, but they absolutely loved it, so we fixed round the cuffs and they were just delighted”, Roz said.<\/p>\n

On the schedule for that day was a kilt, dressing gowns and a sparkly dress.<\/p>\n

As we left them, a puppet in need of re-stringing arrived.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Some new strings were in order for a puppet that had lost its dancing legs<\/figcaption><\/p>\n<\/figure>\n

What is the impact?<\/h2>\n<\/p>\n
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The group says the repairs are good for the environment too.<\/p>\n

Jo Templeton is the deputy chair of Repair Cafe for Antrim and Newtownabbey and helped to establish the group in the district, with support from the original team in Belfast.<\/p>\n

She says the “fabulous” fixers usually manage to repair two-thirds of the items that come through the door.<\/p>\n

More widely, the group said its volunteers have mended at least 3,500 items across Northern Ireland and saved eight tonnes of goods from going to landfill.<\/p>\n

“We get to spread the message that it’s really important that people don’t just automatically throw things away”, Jo said.<\/p>\n

“Can they give it to someone else? Can it be fixed? Can it be repurposed?”.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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\"BBCBBC News<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n

Jo Templeton says the fixers usually repair two thirds of the items which come in<\/figcaption><\/p>\n<\/figure>\n
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Chris McCartney, who supports the network across Northern Ireland said that new branches have recently been established along the north coast and in Augher in County Tyrone.<\/p>\n

In the New Year, there are plans for hubs in Aghalee and Glenravel in the Glens of Antrim.<\/p>\n

Chris said “all shapes and sizes” of communities can make an event work, from small villages to large cities.<\/p>\n

“They’re seeing the benefits of what repair cafes can do and they want to get started as well,” he told BBC News NI.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Where is my nearest repair cafe?<\/h2>\n<\/p>\n
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