THE volunteers at Malvern Hills Repair Cafe, which returns to the town tomorrow, have fixed many things in the two-and-half years since it first opened its doors.

Many are dealt with quite easily, but one that posed more of a challenge was a large doll's house that was brought in to the cafe's December session by Malvern resident Rosemary Hopkins.

It landed on the desk of repairer John Bibby, who said: "I could see immediately that the house needed a complete overhaul, something that time would not allow during a Saturday morning session.

"I offered to take it home and work on it in my own time but it also took far longer than anticipated. It was utterly absorbing yet also demanding, as it had to be systematically taken apart and then re-built in stages – just like a real house.”

Mrs Hopkins, who has recently collected the restored doll's house, said she was delighted by Mr Bibby's dedication.

She said: “The repair cafe is the perfect place for all types of repairs, including my doll’s house, which was in desperate need of repair. I am thrilled with the result and I want to thank John for his many hours of work on this project and for the repair cafe for being so friendly and helpful.”

Jan Dyer, who founded the cafe with her husband Chris, said: "The most frequent question asked by those who have never visited is 'What kind of things do you repair?'

"And we always respond 'everything'. It doesn’t matter how damaged, broken, or torn an item is; bring it along and we’ll see if we can help. f we can’t, our repairers will give their honest advice. "

The repair team offers a diverse range of practical skills and are happy to look at any item brought to them. If they decide it needs more specialist attention than it provides, they are happy to recommend local businesses.

The next cafe is at 10am-2pm tomorrow (Saturday) at Malvern Cube, Albert Road North. Volunteers are always needed and if you would like to get involved, contact 01684 438539 or themalvernhillsrepaircafe@gmail.com.