Category: repair cafe

Mayor of the West of England champions Circular Economy at UWE Bristol Repair Café

Author katcorbett | Posted on

We were delighted to welcome Helen Godwin, Mayor of the West of England, to our March Repair Café at the School of Engineering. The Mayor brought along her family’s cuckoo clock for repair, which had stopped working, and was supported by a team of staff, students, and community volunteers.

The Repair Café is a free monthly event held every second Wednesday during term-time, offering UWE Bristol staff, students, and the wider public the chance to have broken items repaired. From electrical appliances to clothes, and anything that can be glued, soldered or stitched, the initiative embodies UWE Bristol’s commitment to the circular economy and sustainability.

Since launching in 2023, the Repair Café has hosted 22 events, with over 1,660 volunteer hours contributed. More than 600kg of waste has been kept out of landfill, preventing an estimated 4,628kg of CO2 emissions – the equivalent of growing 77 tree seedlings over ten years.

Mayor Helen Godwin said, Initiatives like this are such a great example of our community coming together. Experts are mentoring and working with young people, passing on practical skills while helping people to fix and reuse things they care about.

“It also shows how reuse and repair are part of our region’s DNA – bringing people together, sharing knowledge, and celebrating the good things happening across the West of England.”

Kat Corbett, Interim Head of Circular Economy at UWE Bristol, added, “We’re so happy Helen stopped by the Repair Café to make use of the skilled staff, students and members of the public that volunteer here and collectively support people with the cost of living while also helping them to live more sustainably.

“As a university, we’re committed to reducing waste and embracing a circular economy. We’d really encourage members of our local community to make use of this free service available to them and have their own items repaired, like Helen.”

Dr Laura Fogg Rogers, Associate Professor in Engineering in Society, who leads student engagement in the Repair Café, said, “Our Repair Café events empower students to develop their skills to repair items, as well as gaining employability experience. Events like this are a great example of the Everyday Economy, and a growing sector for green jobs. That’s why we support the Bristol Repair Coalition to grow the repair and reuse movement across the West of England.”

Members of the public interested in having items repaired can sign up for upcoming Repair Café events via UWE Bristol’s website.

Launching a new toolkit for MAKERS: Repair, Belonging, and Sustainability in Action

Author engineering | Posted on

At UWE Bristol, the MAKERS project – Making And Knowledge Exchange for Repair and Sustainability – has been showing how practical repair and making activities can transform engineering education. Now, we’re excited to share the next step: the launch of the How to Create MAKERS guide and toolkit, designed to help other universities and colleges embed similar approaches in their own student communities.

What is MAKERS?

Delivered by the Science Communication Unit at UWE Bristol and supported by over £115,000 from the Royal Academy of Engineering’s Diversity Impact Programme, MAKERS connects students with local maker and repair communities across the West of England. Through workshops and monthly Repair Cafés, students build hands-on skills, tackle real-world sustainability challenges, and strengthen their sense of belonging in engineering.

The initiative was designed to widen participation in engineering by supporting women and students from Global Majority backgrounds. In its first year, the results have been striking: 32% of regular participants were women – double the UK engineering average – and 77% came from Global Majority backgrounds. Alongside these inclusion outcomes, MAKERS has prevented 248 kg of waste, saved 1.6 tonnes of CO₂, co-developed projects with 17 organisations, and welcomed more than 70 community participants.

“Repair and making are not just about fixing objects – they’re about building communities, confidence, and resilience,” said Dr Laura Fogg-Rogers, Associate Professor for Engineering in Society and MAKERS lead. “Through this initiative, we’re showing how sustainability can be embedded in engineering education while creating more inclusive spaces where every student can thrive.”

Creating MAKERS Spaces

Building on this success, Creating MAKERS Spaces offers a practical guide for other higher and further education institutions to establish their own programmes. The toolkit provides step-by-step advice on:

  • Setting up sustainability and repair projects
  • Designing inclusive learning environments
  • Building meaningful community partnerships
  • Measuring impact and sharing best practice

The aim is to help universities enrich student experience strategies by embedding repair cafés and community workshops, while also supporting wider goals in employability, inclusion, and climate action.

“We’ve seen first-hand the difference it makes when students come together to learn practical skills and connect with their communities,” said Kat Corbett, Project Coordinator for MAKERS. “This guide is about sharing that experience so other institutions can create their own spaces for belonging, sustainability, and hands-on learning.”

Repair in the Community: The Bristol Repair Coalition

MAKERS also coordinates the Bristol Repair Coalition, a city-wide alliance of community groups, social enterprises, universities, and local government. Launched in 2024, with the Repair Acts team, the Coalition supports grassroots repair activity, works with Bristol City Council on integrating repair into waste strategy, and is exploring a Circular Economy Demonstrator for the city. This hub would bring together repair, reuse, and refurbishment to create jobs, training, and a stronger circular economy.

The Coalition has also developed the Bristol Repair, Share and Reuse map, a public tool highlighting cafés, enterprises, and services across the city – making it easier for residents to find repair opportunities and get involved.

Looking Ahead

The launch of the How to Create MAKERS guide marks an important milestone in embedding repair and making in higher education. It is both a practical toolkit and a call to action: to reimagine engineering education as inclusive, hands-on, and connected to the pressing challenges of sustainability.

The legacy of MAKERS lies in producing graduates who are not only technically skilled, but also confident, collaborative, and committed to building a more sustainable future.

You can follow progress on the Engineering Our Future blog or join us at one of our monthly Repair Cafés at UWE Bristol’s Frenchay Campus.

Shaping a circular future: UWE Bristol hosts collaborative workshop on new demonstrator project

Author katcorbett | Posted on

On Thursday 17 July, UWE Bristol’s School of Engineering and the Bristol Repair Coalition brought together more than 30 representatives from across the region for a dynamic workshop to co-design a new Circular Economy Demonstrator for Bristol.

Held at the Bristol Business School, the event convened participants from local authorities, community organisations, academia, industry, and the voluntary sector, all with a shared interest in building practical, community-driven solutions to reduce waste and support more sustainable use of resources.

The session was facilitated by Dr Laura Fogg-Rogers (UWE Bristol), Mark Jacobs (Environmental Scientist, Innovator, and Producer), and opened with a scene-setting address from Ken Lawson, Head of Waste, Recycling, Neighbourhood Enforcement and Street Scene Services at Bristol City Council.

What is a Circular Economy Demonstrator?

A Circular Economy Demonstrator is a dedicated, collaborative space where services like repair, reuse, refurbishment, and resource-sharing can be brought together and trialled at scale. Demonstrators act as real-world test beds – practical, visible models that help communities and organisations explore new ways of working while generating evidence, jobs, skills, and engagement.

Inspired by projects such as Manchester’s Renew Hub and Berlin’s NochMall, the proposed demonstrator for Bristol would support not only environmental goals but also skills development, social enterprise, and economic inclusion.

Energy, Ideas, and Collaboration

The workshop created space for lively, creative conversation around the opportunities and challenges involved in establishing such a site. Participants reflected on questions of scale, location, logistics, funding, and governance – as well as how to ensure the project remains inclusive, achievable, and rooted in Bristol’s existing reuse and repair networks.

Key themes from the session included:

  • Green jobs and skills: The demonstrator could serve as a training hub for emerging circular economy skills and support pathways into employment.
  • A just transition: By centring community participation and social value, the project has the potential to support inclusive, local economic development.
  • Net zero goals: Reducing waste and increasing reuse are critical elements of Bristol’s wider climate strategy, with the demonstrator offering a practical route to carbon reduction.
  • Enterprise and innovation: There was a strong call to develop income-generating activities to support long-term viability and reduce dependency on public sector funding.

Looking Ahead

Over the summer, the organisers will review all of the contributions and insights gathered during the workshop, with a view to sharing outcomes and proposed next steps in the autumn. A key focus will be refining the project’s value proposition, testing assumptions about demand, and strengthening cross-sector partnerships.

The School of Engineering would like to thank everyone who attended and contributed to this important conversation. Together, we are building momentum toward a more sustainable, equitable, and resilient future for the city.

For more information on how to get involved, email kat.corbett@uwe.ac.uk.

Bristol Repair Coalition: building a city-wide culture of repair and reuse

Author katcorbett | Posted on

The Bristol Repair Coalition is a diverse alliance of community groups, social enterprises, local businesses, academic institutions, and city partners working together to rethink how we use and care for the materials, products, and waste in our city.

Founded in March 2024 through the Repair Acts initiative, the Coalition aims to create a regenerative material culture that prioritises repair, reuse, and resourcefulness — moving beyond simple recycling toward systemic change.

A City-Wide Movement for Regenerative Material Culture

The Coalition brings together a wide range of members, including community organisations, social enterprises, Bristol City Council, Bristol Waste, academic partners from UWE Bristol, Bristol University, and Winchester School of Art, as well as local businesses and repair specialists.

Together, this network collaborates to:

  • Support and connect repair and reuse initiatives across Bristol.
  • Advocate for policies that embed repair and reuse into city planning and waste management.
  • Build skills and capacity for sustainable repair in communities.
  • Foster an inclusive, participatory approach rooted in design justice.

Moving Repair and Reuse to the Forefront

While recycling remains an important part of waste management, repair and reuse offer a more impactful way to extend product lifespans, reduce emissions, and strengthen local economies. The Coalition is committed to making repair and reuse accessible, visible, and valued across Bristol.

This approach is timely given rising waste treatment costs driven by new government regulations, alongside ongoing social challenges such as the cost-of-living crisis. Repair and reuse initiatives not only reduce waste but also help people save money and build community resilience.

Partnering with Bristol City Council

The Coalition recently engaged with Bristol City Council to align efforts with the Council’s new Waste Strategy. Both parties see potential in embedding repair and reuse more deeply into future waste contracts and city-wide policies.

Bristol Waste Company’s reuse shops have already made a significant impact by diverting thousands of items from disposal, keeping valuable materials in circulation and reducing landfill. Beyond environmental benefits, these shops provide affordable goods to local residents, helping to ease the cost-of-living pressures faced by many in Bristol.

There is strong potential to expand reuse and repair facilities and services across the city. The Coalition is keen to work with its partners to explore how existing successes can be built upon, creating a more robust circular economy that delivers lasting environmental and social benefits.

Exploring a Circular Economy Demonstrator

Inspired by successful initiatives like the Manchester Renew Hub, Berlin’s Nochmall, and ReTuna in Eskilstuna (Sweden), the Coalition is developing plans for a Bristol Circular Economy Demonstrator — a space to refurbish, repair, and resell furniture, electronics, and bicycles, and more, while creating jobs and training opportunities.

This demonstrator aims to support green skills development, provide affordable goods, and reduce emissions by keeping materials in use longer. A workshop is scheduled for July 2025 to help define its scope and build stakeholder support.

Mapping Bristol’s Repair Ecosystem

To highlight the city’s existing repair and reuse activities, the Coalition has created a public map showcasing community repair cafés, specialist services, social enterprises, and training opportunities throughout Bristol.

This resource helps identify gaps and opportunities for growth and collaboration.

Explore the Bristol Repair Map

Looking Forward

The Bristol Repair Coalition is committed to ongoing collaboration to strengthen repair and reuse across the city. By working together—across sectors, communities, and disciplines—the Coalition seeks to build a more sustainable, equitable, and resilient Bristol.

For more information or to get involved, please contact kat.corbett@uwe.ac.uk.

MAKERS and Environmental Film Club team up to screen “Buy Now! The Shopping Conspiracy”

Author katcorbett | Posted on

The MAKERS project is excited to partner with the Student Union’s Reel Nature: Environmental Film Club to host an exclusive screening of the ground-breaking documentary, “Buy Now! The Shopping Conspiracy”, directed by Emmy-winning filmmaker Nic Stacey.

This eye-opening documentary dives into the hidden strategies used by major corporations to trap consumers in an endless cycle of overconsumption. It exposes how products are intentionally designed to break or become obsolete, fuelling a global throwaway culture that wreaks havoc on our environment. Featuring interviews with industry changemakers like Kyle Wiens, founder of iFixit, the film also explores the growing movement to reclaim the right to repair our products and reduce waste.

📅 Date: 27th January 2025
⏰ Time: 5 PM
📍 Location: The Student Union, Meeting Room 1

This screening is an opportunity to explore pressing environmental issues, question the systems driving overconsumption, and learn about practical alternatives.

Following the screening, attendees are invited to join a discussion featuring local experts in repair, waste reduction, and sustainability. We will aim to unpack the documentary’s messages and storytelling tools, while also exploring practical solutions to these challenges.

For questions or additional information, contact kat.corbett@uwe.ac.uk.

UWE Bristol’s MAKERS Project Wins Staff Award for Sustainability

Author katcorbett | Posted on

UWE Bristol’s MAKERS project has been recognised with a Staff Award in the Sustainability category, celebrating its impactful work to improve diversity and inclusion in engineering while tackling the climate and ecological emergency. This recognition highlights the project’s contributions to fostering a sense of belonging among diverse engineering students and supporting sustainability in partnership with local communities.

MAKERS: A Hub for Connection, Creativity, and Sustainability

MAKERS, which stands for Making And Knowledge Exchange for Repair & Sustainability, bridges the gap between diverse engineering students at UWE Bristol and the local Maker and Repair communities in the West of England. With nearly £90,000 in funding from the Royal Academy of Engineering’s Diversity Impact Programme, the project has developed a series of co-creation workshops that address multiple challenges:

  • Belonging and inclusion: MAKERS provides students—especially women and individuals from minority backgrounds—with a welcoming environment to collaborate and grow as engineers.
  • Skill-building and employability: Students enhance their practical and professional skills, working alongside experienced community mentors and STEM industry professionals.
  • Sustainability: Through repair workshops and hands-on activities, students and community members contribute to reducing waste, preventing 303kg of waste from reaching landfill, and avoiding 2 tons of CO2 emissions.

The project embodies UWE Bristol’s commitment to sustainability while making tangible strides in improving diversity within STEM fields.

The Impact of MAKERS

Since its launch in 2023, MAKERS has delivered significant outcomes:

  • Increased diversity: 32% of regular student participants are women (compared to 16% in engineering nationally), and 77% come from Global Majority backgrounds.
  • Community engagement: MAKERS collaborated with 17 organisations and hosted repair and making workshops for over 70 community members.
  • Ongoing opportunities: A monthly Repair Café on UWE’s Frenchay Campus invites community members to bring broken items to repair, fostering hands-on learning and collaboration between students and community volunteers.

The project also connects students with STEM Ambassadors and retired engineers from the Bristol Repair Café network, providing invaluable mentoring opportunities.

Rewarding Engagement and Growth

MAKERS participants not only contribute to sustainability but also gain professional and personal benefits:

  • Networking opportunities: Students collaborate with industry professionals and community members, creating lasting connections.
  • Skill recognition: Participants earn digital skills badges (bronze, silver, or gold) to showcase their expertise on LinkedIn and other platforms.
  • Practical tools: After attending five events, students receive repair kits or vouchers to continue their sustainability efforts at home.

In addition, students have access to cutting-edge resources, including 3D printing facilities, sewing machines, and technician support to work on personal and community-focused repair projects.

Looking Ahead

The MAKERS project’s success is being recognised on multiple levels. It has been shortlisted for the prestigious Green Gown Awards in the Benefitting Society category and featured at conferences such as the International Symposium on Academic Maker Spaces and Science in Public. With plans to publish findings in academic journals, the team aims to further contribute to research on diversity in STEM education and sustainability practices.

This award is a testament to the MAKERS project’s ability to weave sustainability, skill development, and community into a meaningful initiative that transforms lives while addressing global challenges.

The MAKERS Team are continuing to develop the evaluation. You can find some of the outcomes so far in the following publications:

MAKERS poster Can a student-led Repair Café develop a sense of belonging and provide hands-on experiences for engineering students?

MAKERS Report Making and knowledge exchange for repair and sustainability

Putting Share and Repair on the Map: Celebrating International Repair Day in Bristol

Author engineering | Posted on

The MAKERS project team is excited to support an International Repair Day celebration on Saturday, October 19th, at SPARKS Bristol, and they’re putting “share and repair” front and centre with some exciting new initiatives!

This year marks the launch of a Library of Things at UWE Bristol’s Frenchay Campus. To showcase the vibrant repair community around Bristol, we’ve partnered with Share Bristol to create a new digital map. This tool highlights the many community repair cafés that happen across the city, allowing people to find local places to Reduce, Repair, Share, and Re-use—all key elements of the circular economy.

The map not only showcases the amazing repair work happening in Bristol, but it also supports efforts to tackle waste, reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and save money. By helping people come together, these initiatives foster stronger communities, all while promoting sustainability.

MAKERS Project: Record Turnout and New Milestones

UWE Bristol’s MAKERS project is already off to a fantastic start this academic year. The first repair café of the term, hosted at the School of Engineering, saw a record turnout, with experienced repairing mentoring freshers and learning new skills alongside community volunteers. This hands-on approach is empowering students to be both environmental advocates and skilled problem solvers.

In recognition of this work, the MAKERS team has also been shortlisted as a Finalist in the Green Gown Awards for sustainability in the Benefitting Society category, with winners to be announced in November.

Project Coordinator Kat Corbett emphasizes how important Bristol’s community repair cafés are, saying:

“Our team at UWE Bristol is committed to supporting this initiative through student involvement, skills development, and raising awareness of Bristol’s repair, share, and reuse efforts.”

Building Connections Through Repair

Beyond the technical side of repairs, the social benefits of these cafés are profound. Dr. Laura Fogg Rogers, Project Lead, points out that both students and older community members report feeling more connected, making new friends while making a positive impact.

“We’re repairing ourselves as well as our goods,” she says, noting the unexpected social connections fostered through these events.

Both Dr. Rogers and Kat Corbett are actively involved in running their own community repair cafés in Eastville and Winterbourne, further embedding these values into local communities.

The Bristol Repair Coalition: Expanding Repair Culture

This local repair movement is part of a broader effort led by Professor Teresa Dillon, who has been directing the Repair Acts at UWE Bristol’s School of Art since 2018. The recently formed Bristol Repair Coalition, an alliance of academics, charities, businesses, and social enterprises, is working to transform Bristol into a city where repair and reuse are second nature.

This coalition aims to support emerging communities of professional, commercial, and volunteer repairers, and to reimagine sustainable material pathways for the city. With more events and initiatives expected to emerge, the Coalition is building a strong foundation for a restorative material future in Bristol.

Join Us for International Repair Day!

We invite everyone to join in the celebration of International Repair Day on Saturday, October 19th, at SPARKS Bristol. This event will highlight the power of repair to reduce our environmental impact, bring people together, and equip us with valuable new skills.

Date: Saturday, October 19, 2024
Location: Sparks (Level 2), 78 Broadmead, Bristol BS1 3DS

(Tickets are free, but need to be pre-booked at here.)

Find out more about the global movement at repairday.org.

UWE Bristol students support Easton campaign for better air with repair skills

Author katcorbett | Posted on

As part of the MAKERS project, UWE Bristol students recently had the opportunity to use their repair and making skills to support the Easton based Baggator Youth Group and “Residents Against Dirty Energy” (RADE) Bristol campaign for better air by helping them to fix their traffic and pollution sensors.

The community group uses sensors to measure traffic and air pollution in their area to support their campaign efforts. The collected air pollution data can be then be accessed on the Luftdaten pages, whilst life traffic data is available on the Telraam pages.

As the project has been running for a while, many of the sensors weren’t working as well as they used to, which is why UWE students were invited to support RADE to help fix the faulty sensors, helping the group to improve the quality of the collected data, which plays a key role in their campaign efforts.

It has been a fantastic repair session that was supported by five students and a technician from UWE Bristol’s School of Engineering. This was a great opportunity to learn some practical repair skills of electronics, whilst connecting with and supporting the community of East Bristol in their efforts to improve the air quality for its residents.

The group also especially enjoyed the lunch that was provided by the community and sourced from local businesses.

We would like to thank the community of Easton for being so welcoming to our students, and we look forward to hearing about updates from the project!

How the MAKERS project is supporting students to develop hands-on skills and boost employability

Author katcorbett | Posted on

The UWE MAKERS project has been going from strength to strength since it first launched in September last year to help improve belonging for diverse engineering students at UWE Bristol, through developing connections with local Maker and Repair communities in the region.

The project is funded by the Royal Academy of Engineering, and aims to support diverse students to continue their careers within engineering. Student feedback has helped the team to develop more employability benefits and direct industry links.

Networking opportunities

During the UWE Repair Café, students now get to work alongside STEM Ambassadors from Industry and Community Volunteers from the Bristol Repair Café Network, many of which are retired engineers themselves. This is a great way to meet and learn from experienced professionals, and connect over hands-on repair, whilst supporting the wider community and the University’s sustainability goals.

Free repair kit to take home

Once students have attended 5 MAKERS events, they can choose between a Hobbycraft Voucher, a Basic Household Repair toolkit, an electronics Device Repair Toolkit, which can be used alongside the freely available IFixIt Repair Guides. This is to enable them to apply their skills and learning at home, acquiring more confidence and practice in doing so.

Digital Skills Badges

MAKERS student volunteers earn digital Skills Badges, which can be used on LinkedIn profile and other social channels to help showcase any relevant skills earned, whilst also enabling badge earners to see job postings requiring those skills.

There are three types of badges: bronze, silver, and gold, depending on the level of involvement in the MAKERS project.

Repair Group and Technician Repair Support

MAKERS students can access technician support and facilities to help grow their repair skills and confidence. This includes the electronic maker space, the 3D printing facilities, and the fitting shop, with all the available tools. There are also a number of sewing machines and an overlocker available to use by those with an interest in textile repair.

Demonstrable Green Skills

The MAKERS project works with the Restart Project to measure their environmental impact, in particular in terms of how much waste has been saved from landfill, and how many CO2 emissions have the saved.

Get involved in MAKERS:

Students who would like to get involved can sign up here.

We particularly encourage women and students from Black, Asian and racially minoritised backgrounds to get in touch!

Opportunity for students to support East Bristol campaign for better air with repair skills

Author engineering | Posted on

The MAKERS project is giving students the opportunity to use their repair and making skills to support the Easton based Baggator Youth Group and “Residents Against Dirty Energy” (RADE) Bristol campaign for better air.

The group uses sensors to measure traffic and air pollution in their area to support their campaign efforts. Air pollution data can be accessed on the Luftdaten pages, whilst life traffic data is available on the Telraam pages.

As the project has been running for a while, many of the sensors don’t work as well as they used to. UWE students are invited to support RADE to help fix the faulty sensors, helping the group to improve the quality of the collected data, which plays a key role in their campaign efforts.

The group will be running two sensor repair sessions on Saturday, February 24th at St Mark’s Baptist Church in Easton. Session 1 will take place from 10.30am – 12.00pm session 2 is from 1-2.30pm. Students can attend either one or both sessions, depending on their availability.

The session will be led by a technician from the School of Engineering who will guide participants through the repairs, so no previous experience is required.

This is a great opportunity to learn some practical repair skills of electronics, whilst connecting with and supporting the community of East Bristol in their efforts to improve the air quality for its residents. There will be food provided on the day, and travel costs can be reimbursed.

Students can sign up via the Sign-up form, or email kat.corbett@uwe.ac.uk with any questions.

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