We throw away vast amounts of stuff – even things with almost nothing wrong, and which could get a new lease on life after a simple repair.

The trouble is, many people have forgotten that they can repair things themselves or they no longer know how.

Society doesn’t always show much appreciation for the people who still have this practical knowledge, and against their will they are often left standing on the sidelines.

The Repair Café changes all that. People who might otherwise be sidelined are getting involved again.

Valuable practical knowledge is getting passed on. Things are being used for longer and don’t have to be thrown away. This reduces the volume of raw materials and energy needed to make new products. It cuts CO2 emissions, for example, because manufacturing new products and recycling old ones causes CO2 to be released.

Might free repair get-togethers compete with professional repair specialists? The answer is; quite the opposite. Repair Cafés across the whole country focus attention on the possibility of getting things repaired. Visitors are frequently advised to go to the few professionals still around.

Furthermore, people who visit Repair Cafés are not usually customers of repair specialists. They say that they normally throw away broken items because paying to have them repaired is, in general, too expensive.

But most of all, the Repair Café just wants to show how much fun repairing things can be, and how easy it often is. Why don’t you give it a go? The Repair Café in Worcester is every month at Unity House, Stanley Road. The repairs are free (although the tea and cake isn’t!). It’s amazing what can be repaired.