The Repair Cafe: A Beacon of Sustainability and Community Resilience

Tucked away in Cascades Shopping Centre, Repair Café Portsmouth has blossomed from a grassroots initiative into a cornerstone of Portsmouth’s sustainability movement. This volunteer-driven charity not only mends leaky kettles and wobbly chairs but also empowers residents to borrow tools, reduce waste, and forge meaningful connections. Let’s dive into the story of this remarkable hub and its ripple effect on the city.

From Pop-Ups to Permanent Hub: A Journey of Growth

Founded in 2018 by a passionate group of volunteers, Repair Café Portsmouth began with monthly pop-up events at Buckland URC in Fratton, where locals could bring broken items for repair instead of discarding them. By 2021, demand surged, prompting expansion to an additional pop-up space in Southsea Library and the establishment of Share (Portsmouth) in 2022, a charity dedicated to reducing carbon footprint and waste through repair, reuse, and sharing initiatives.

A pivotal moment came in early 2023 when Cascades Shopping Centre donated a retail unit, transforming Repair Café into a permanent hub. This space now hosts both the Repair Café and the Portsmouth Library of Things, where residents borrow everything from power drills to thermal imaging cameras, fostering a circular economy in the heart of the city.

More Than Repairs: Skills, Sustainability, and Social Connection

The Repair Café’s ethos extends far beyond fixing objects. It’s a space where skills are shared, confidence is built, and environmental stewardship thrives.

Key Services & Workshops

1. Repair Sessions: Volunteers assist with small household electricals, textiles, furniture, jewellery, and tool sharpening, though microwaves and e-scooters remain exceptions. Sessions are bookable via email, with a focus on collaborative repair and skill-sharing.

2. Library of Things: Borrow infrequently used items like camping gear, projectors, or DIY tools, reducing the need for ownership and curbing consumerism.

3. Empowering Workshops:

Thermal Imaging Workshops: Partnering with Switched On Portsmouth, these sessions teach residents to detect home heat loss using borrowed cameras, linking repairs to energy savings.

Women’s DIY Skill Shares: A groundbreaking series challenges gender stereotypes, offering hands-on training in drilling, plug wiring, and sawing, all fuelled by tea and biscuits.

Community Impact: By the Numbers

Waste Prevention: Repair Café Portsmouth has diverted countless items from our city's incinerators, contributing to global efforts highlighted by the Global E-Waste Monitor, which reports that the UK is the world’s second-largest e-waste producer per capita.

Carbon Savings: Every repair reduces the carbon footprint tied to manufacturing and transportation. For instance, extending a vacuum’s life by a year can save up to 22 kg of CO₂.

Volunteer Power: Over 50 volunteers staff the hub and pop-ups, supported by partnerships with The National Lottery and national networks, such as the Hampshire Repair Café Network.

Innovative Campaigns & National Recognition

Repair Café Portsmouth isn’t just thinking big, they're going huge. In 2024, they grabbed the city’s attention with a 2-metre-tall interactive mobile phone, touring the streets as part of an eye-catching “e-waste amnesty.” The goal? To encourage locals to donate their unwanted tech and shine a spotlight on the growing issue of electronic waste. This bold initiative is perfectly in step with their involvement in The BIG FIX 2025, a nationwide repair extravaganza where thousands of broken items find new life in just one day. And let’s not forget their annual contribution to International Repair Day every October, because for Repair Café Portsmouth, every fix counts.

Local leadership has taken note: Council Leader Steve Pitt endorsed the UK Repair and Reuse Declaration, advocating for national policies to support repair culture, tax incentives, and stronger right to repair laws.

Supporting Refugees: A Lifeline Through Technology

In an often overlooked but deeply impactful initiative, Repair Café Portsmouth extends its ethos of reuse and care to the city’s refugee community by providing refurbished smartphones. For many newly arrived individuals and families, a working phone is more than a gadget; it's a vital connection to family, translators, local services, and employment opportunities.

By collecting unwanted devices through donation drives and their innovative “e-waste amnesty” campaigns, volunteers breathe new life into old phones, ensuring they’re data wiped, repaired, and ready for use. This work not only bridges the digital divide for some of Portsmouth’s most vulnerable residents, but it also highlights how circular thinking can build both sustainability and solidarity.

It’s repair with a human touch, offering hope, dignity, and digital access, one phone at a time.

Looking Ahead: Challenges & Vision

While Repair Café thrives, challenges persist. Clare Seek, founder of Share (Portsmouth), highlights barriers like scarce spare parts and high repair costs. Yet, the charity’s vision remains clear: to normalise repair in a throwaway society.

Internationally, Repair Café Portsmouth contributes data to the Open Repair Alliance, revealing insights such as the UK’s lower success rate in fixing coffee machines compared to European counterparts, highlighting a need for better product design and legislation.

Join the Movement

Whether you’re a seasoned DIYer or a repair novice, Repair Café Portsmouth welcomes you. Drop by their hub (open Wed–Sat) or attend a pop-up event. Bring a broken item, borrow a tool, or simply enjoy a cuppa while learning how small actions like rewiring a plug or borrowing a drill can collectively reshape our planet’s future.

All you have to do is:

1. Request a Spot: Contact Repair Cafe with details of your broken item (What it is and what the problem is) and when you would like to visit.

2. Become a Co-Repairer: You sit down with your volunteer and work together on fixing your beloved item.

3. Donate and Share: Repair Cafe asks everyone to donate so they can keep spreading their love.

Visit them at

Find the Repair Cafe at 108A Cascades Shopping Centre, Portsmouth

Ready to give your broken items a second chance? Visit the Portsmouth Repair Café to explore our workshops or make a booking:

👉 shareportsmouth.org.uk/repair

📞 Hub contact: 07579 026568

Getting to the Repair Cafe

🚶 On Foot

Use the Spring Street entrance for the quickest route to the unit.

🚲 By Bike

Bike racks are dotted around the streets near Cascades. If you’re picking something up from the Library, feel free to bring your bike inside to load up. The nearest Voi Bike bay is on Bishop Crispian Way.

🛴 By Voi e-Scooter

Your closest Voi e-scooter parking spot is just around the corner on Stanhope Road.

🚌 By Bus

The City Centre South bus stops are only a 2-minute walk away.

🚆 By Train

Portsmouth & Southsea station is a short 5-minute walk from our doors.

⛴️ By Ferry

Portsmouth Harbour is about 10 minutes away on foot, with ferries to Gosport and the Isle of Wight.

🚗 By Car

Pop PO1 4RS into your sat nav. If you’re using the Cascades multi-storey car park, enjoy 20 minutes of free parking. For quick pickups or drop-offs, loading bays are available on Spring Street, accessible via Edinburgh Road. Please be aware that you can not leave your car unattended on Spring Road.

Because fixing what we have is more powerful than tossing it away.

Repair Café Portsmouth: Small Repairs, Big Impact. 🌍🔧