Arjun Pillai
Daily Herald
The Prince Albert Science Centre is once again welcoming locals to its monthly Repair Café on Saturday, June 7, offering free repairs for common household items with the help of skilled volunteers.
Part of a global movement that began in Amsterdam in 2009, Repair Cafés now take place in more than 2500 locations around the world. The local version is organized by Les Dickson, a volunteer who coordinates the event every month.
“The idea is to help keep things out of the dump that don’t need to be there,” said Dickson. “We also try to teach people some skills on repairing their own items.”
Its not just a drop-off service, volunteers also work side-by-side with attendees, guiding them through the repair process, encouraging hands on learning and participation. From lamps and kitchen appliances to snow blowers, small furniture, and even pots and pans, the Repair Café welcomes a wide range of items.
Though Dickson cautions that large electronics like TVs are trickier and only occasionally fixable. “We’ve had some success with them,” he noted, “but it depends on the problem.”
Visitors don’t need to register ahead of time and can simply walk in with their items. Most repairs are done for free, and while donations are accepted, the only possible cost comes if a new part is needed, at which point volunteers will provide guidance on ordering and bringing it back next time.
Retired tradespeople and hobbyists with backgrounds in electronics or engineering make up most of the volunteer team. The event also serves as a hub for practical learning, community engagement, and what Dickson describes as a form of “applied science.”
One of the more memorable fixes involved a leather jacket torn in a car accident. The man who brought it in had narrowly avoided serious injury, and while the jacket couldn’t be restored to its original condition, it was repaired enough to keep. “There was a piece of metal that had come through and really tore up the leather jacket very badly,” Dickson recalled. “But it saved him from any injury.” The man didn’t want to repair it for fashion but sentiment, a reminder that he’d been lucky that day. “He knew it would never look new, but he wanted to keep it as a souvenir,” said Dickson. “So that was a really meaningful one.”
Repair Café runs on the first Saturday of every month, from 1:00 to 4:00 p.m. at the Prince Albert Science Centre (1403 Central Ave). Attendees are encouraged to bring one or two items, though the team does its best to accommodate more depending on the day’s turnout.
