enfinium awards £1.5k to Welsh repair cafe 

This funding aims to bolster the café’s efforts in repairing fixable goods, thereby curbing unnecessary household waste and aiding local families in saving money. 

Since February 2020, the Ruthin Repair Café, a community-driven not-for-profit initiative, has repaired household items for local residents. With a team of 24 volunteers, it has repaired 963 items across 31 Repair Café events. The most frequent items include electrical appliances like toasters and vacuum cleaners, as well as sewing repairs for soft toys and clothing. 

The newly announced grant will cover operational expenses, including room rentals and consumables. Additionally, it will facilitate training for volunteers, enhancing their skills in crucial areas such as first aid, tool sharpening, and PAT safety-testing certification – particularly vital for electrical repairs. 

Critical 

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 Repair Café with funding today.” 

Expense 

enfinium has said that each repaired item not only spares families the “expense of replacement but also contributes to the reduction of waste sent to environmentally harmful landfills, consequently lowering carbon emissions.” For instance, extending the lifespan of a single television by seven years can save “up to 657kg of CO2 emissions”. 

In March 2024, enfinium initiated the £60,000 Repair Café Support Fund, aimed at aiding cafés within a 30-mile radius of its facilities in Kent, North Wales, West Yorkshire, or the West Midlands. Eligible Repair Cafés have until the 31 May to apply for funding of up to £1,500 per annum. 

‘Thrilled’ 

Anne Lewis, organiser at Ruthin Repair Cafe, said: “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.”