Dates set for Laois free repair café 

THE first free repair café in Laois will open for two days this month, accepting everything from broken kettles and torn clothes to damaged toys and furniture.

The pop-up Community Repair Café will open at The CUBE Low Carbon Centre of Excellence in Portlaoise, as part of a Laois Co Council drive to promote recycling and prevent dumping.

The café at the business centre on Tower Hill will run from 11am to 3pm on Saturday and Sunday, 28-29 June. People can bring along broken items to be repaired by skilled volunteers free of charge.

Volunteers from Dublin-based TOG Hackerspace will be available to share their repair skills and knowledge, showing visitors how to fix a variety of household items and how to prevent future problems.

People can bring along small electrical appliances such as toasters, hairdryers and kettles; electronics for testing, basic diagnostics and advice; clothing and textiles with rips, broken zippers and dropped hems as well as small pieces of furniture, toys, tools and lots more.

Each person can bring no more than two items, cleaned and with power leads if necessary.

The café is hosted by Laois Co Council in collaboration with Eastern-Midlands Waste Region, with the support of the Department of Climate, Energy and the Environment.

Community repair shop cafés have run successfully in other counties, with a focus on repairing household items rather than throwing them away.

Admission is free but people are asked to book a time slot in advance through Eventbrite. Anyone interested in sharing their own repair skills is invited to email info@tog.ie. Further details are available from the council’s environment section at 057 8664000.