Poet Mattie Stepanek once said, “Unity is strength… when there is teamwork and collaboration, wonderful things can be achieved.”

Topsham Repair Café first opened its doors in December 2022 with Benji Goehl (previously of Salisbury Repair Café) at the helm and a brilliant group of volunteers who wanted to turn the tide of ditching items and repair them instead.

That first Repair Café saw 45 items brought in, of which 35 were repaired (78%!). These numbers have pretty much continued month on month, and there is always a happy buzz of visitors and volunteers. It’s possible this is ably assisted by the amazing cake that our volunteers provide, or maybe that is an added bonus!

The Repair Café turned two years old in December 2024 and is now run by Kirstine and Mary (Benji has gone on to set up a Repair Café in Exeter, and we will always be grateful for his vision and leadership), but the majority of the volunteers who turned up on that first Saturday still turn up monthly and give up their Saturday mornings to help out. Testament perhaps to the great atmosphere and the friendships that have been forged as well. The team also stays together for a simple soup and rolls lunch afterward, and this brings conversations from the morning together.

As with everything in life, the Repair Café continues to evolve, and we are now exploring how we could work with Exeter University to share best practices with a Repair Café for students and draw on our combined repair skills.

Topsham Repair Café is grateful to be a part of the Topsham Community Association, which exists to improve community life for the residents of Topsham, and we are able to share our space on a Saturday morning with the Topsham Library of Things.

We have recently signed up to join Devon CAG; their support and encouragement have been invaluable, and we look forward to what the future holds with them.

Our Repair Café isn’t just for repairs, though. We know it is often the first time some of our visitors have seen another human all week. It is a welcoming space where people pop in to say hello, sit and chat with a cuppa and a piece of cake (did we mention how great the cake is?), and sometimes learn something new from our volunteers. It is an opportunity to switch off from the world outside, even just for a few minutes, and we recognize how important that is to everyone involved.

If you have never been to a Repair Café, we think you should give it a go. Even if you just pop into one to see what’s happening, you will be warmly greeted with a welcoming smile, and if you are thinking of volunteering – we highly recommend it. Our volunteers are all ages, from 20-somethings to octogenarians, from all different backgrounds, and every month we all learn something new from each other.

Perhaps you would like to come to the Topsham Repair Café? You will find us at The Dorothy Holman Centre on Ferry Road in Topsham on the first Saturday of every month. We accept repairs between 10 am and 1 pm. If you would like to find out more, please see our Facebook: www.facebook.com/topshamrepaircafe or email us at topshamrepaircafe@gmail.com.