Since opening in May, the Hackney Fixing Factory has started hosting events.
They run Community Repair every Saturday 11am-2pm. They have also started to run training events and will soon run Future Fixers events (for volunteers only).
Images from recent training event on soldering
Images from a recent community repair event, which was well attended.
Another Parliamentary Repair Cafe took place in June 2025, this time in the House of Lords. It is part of a push for better repair legislation in the UK.
The event was a follow up from the Parliamentary Repair event in 2024 (an earlier post). The aim was to engage UK politicians with repair and reuse, and to build support for the Repair and Reuse Declaration. This will hopefully lead to new legislation to eventually improve our right to repair.
The event was held in partnership with Back Market, and support from SUEZ, Green Alliance and the CRN. A highlight of the day a speech by Circular Economies Minister Mary Creagh, who has set up the Circular Economy Taskforce promising a roadmap for circular electricals (and electronics) by early 2026. It is hoped this will deliver the new legislation.
The event was sponsored by Baroness Parminter and Jeremy Vine. Jeremy told the story of his ‘unrepairable’ Segway, which is less than 3 years old!! Difficult to open, replacement parts unavailable, manufacturer unwilling to help. A story that is all too familiar.
The event offered MPs and their staff an opportunity to get a sense of a community repair event (e.g. a repair cafe) with three volunteers (from the Community Repair Network) performing repairs on the day. Other representatives from Restart and Repair Cafes from across the UK attended to engage with their local MPs.
Over 35 MPs and their staff were in attendance, there was good support for the Declaration and this is hopefully another step towards increased support for the UK Repair and Reuse Declaration and new legislation.
The Restart Project and partners are developing the next wave of Fixing Factories to increase the repair capability on our high streets. This post is a short story of the development of the latest one, in Hackney.
Fixing Factories provide a community resource to help people to get their things fixed and also learn new skills (via workshops). They are based in the community and more easily accessible. They provide a more consistent capability for repair and reuse. Run in partnership with Possible and funding from the National Lottery Climate Action Community Fund they are also resourced by mix of paid staff and volunteers.
The first Fixing Factories were created in Brent and Camden and were covered in earlier posts. Brent was a pilot, located in a local household waste recycling centre; that has now closed. The Camden factory continues and hosts a range of repair and educational events on Thursdays and Saturdays.
This post follows the development of two new facilities: one in Hackney and another in Haringey.
Hackney Fixing Factory
In Hackney, volunteers and staff refurbished an old nail bar in Dispensary Lane.
Local bespoke furniture makers OEK , located next door, provided the new ‘fixing factory’ wall signage.
The new manager, Arthur and Shelini, who is managing the Restart’s Fixing Factory programme, began installing the furniture and making final preparations for the opening.
On 23 April the Fixing Factory officially opened its doors.
Cutting the ribbon …
The Hackney Fixing Factory is now operational. you can find details here.
In Haringey, pre-launch events are taking place with community repair events hosted by Haringey Fixers.
The Future
We need more Fixing Factories. Ideally, we should have one on the high street in every major town and in every London borough. We have solutions, we just need to act.