IT seems hard to believe that it was only a year ago this month when the Malvern Hills Repair Café first opened its doors.

During that time, almost 500 people have either had their broken, damaged or torn possessions fixed and/or received helpful advice and in excess of 600 different items have been examined and dealt with.

We had no idea what to expect in December 2012 but the first session attracted 35 visitors and since then the numbers have steadily increased so that now we can expect anywhere between 65 and 75 visitors each month.

We’d like to take this opportunity to thank everyone who has supported the Repair Café during the past year. We now have a loyal and talented team of friendly and capable repairers whose skills reflect the bedrock of Malvern’s historic culture of innovation and practical expertise. They willingly give their time each month to work patiently and conscientiously on a variety of repairs, some of which are often challenging and timeconsuming.

We are particularly grateful to them for their generous commitment.

However, we would all be wasting our time if it was not for the Malvern Hills public who have embraced the whole ethos of the repair and reuse culture.

Other repair cafés have opened across the country but the Malvern Hills Repair Café is unquestionably the most successful. Particular thanks must also go to the Malvern Gazette as they have readily published our articles and promoted our venture.

JAN AND CHRIS DYER Malvern Hills Repair Café