UK’s largest waste operator awards funding to Ruthin Repair Café
The Denbigshire-based organisation have received over £1,000 to help it to repair fixable goods, reduce household waste and save locals money.
Although this café isn’t made up of coffee and baristas, it is full of conservationists who are working tirelessly to assist with the current climate crisis. Ruthin Repair Café, a community based not-for-profit, has been repairing household goods for local residents since February 2020, in a bid to reduce waste.
Running once a month, its team of 24 volunteers have helped fix 963 items to date across 31 Repair Café events. The most common repairs are electricals, especially toasters and vacuum cleaners, followed by sewing repairs, such as soft toys and clothes.
However, the funding that has been announced by enfinium, the UK’s largest waste operator, will help take these events to the next level. The organisation is set to receive £1,500 which will cover running costs, including room hire and consumables, and enable volunteers to develop their skills. This will include first aid training, tool sharpening classes and PAT safety-testing certification, which is critical for electrical item repairs.
Arguably, this funding couldn’t have come at a better time. Data from the Öko-Institut – a non-profit, private-sector environmental research institute – shows that maintaining a single television for an additional seven years can save the equivalent of 657kg CO2.
Commenting on the news, Mike Maudsley, CEO of enfinium, said: ‘Repairing broken items is a critical part of reducing the amount of waste we produce. In turn, this leads to lower consumption, lower carbon emissions and less waste ending up in landfill. This is why we are delighted to be awarding Ruthin’s Repair Café with funding today, which has been helping local families to reduce waste and save money since 2020.’
In addition, Anne Lewis, Ruthin Repair Café organiser, has expressed her enthusiasm about being awarded the money.
‘We are thrilled to have been awarded this funding from enfinium. The funds will enable us to continue to help support the local residents of Ruthin repair their broken items, and provide training to our fantastic team of volunteers,’ Lewis added.
The funding from enfinium has come from the company’s Repair Cafés Support Fund, which was launched in March 2024. The total currently stands at £60,000 and it was established to supports cafés located within a 30-mile radius of one of enfinium’s facilities in Kent, North Wales, West Yorkshire or the West Midlands.
Cafés can apply for funding of up to £1,500 per annum before 31st May 2024.
The Ruthin Repair Café takes place on the first Saturday of every month at the Naylor Leyland Centre in Ruthin, North Wales, from 10AM to 3PM and is free and open to all.
Image: Ruthin Repair Café
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