What resources would be useful for new and existing repair groups?

Hi all,

We’re currently developing the resources available to new and existing community repair groups and are keen to make them as useful and relevant as possible.

If you have a few minutes, we’d love to hear your thoughts on the following questions:

  1. What were the most important things you learned (or wish you knew) when starting a new repair group? What advice would you share for new organisers?
  2. Based on challenges you’ve faced (or are facing), what additional guidance or information would be useful?

The Restart Party Kit currently contains communication materials and information about organising a Restart Party, volunteer recruitment, tools and supplies, measuring impact, safety and managing risk.

  1. Is there anything we could add to ensure it continues to be useful for existing groups?

Thank you!

Josie

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I don’t run a Cafe, and this is probably not what you wanted, but be aware of a repairer with no tools, or multimeter, or buying them next month is, a red flag.

If the tool-less repairer above even has five PhD’s in theoretical nuclear physics, make sure the supervisor with him does not leave him alone, because the supervisor may think “he is a bright guy, and any one can fix this fault”

If the repairer messes the heirloom coffee maker up, you have a way of dealing with it. In my case is was the coffee maker circlip had pinged to the great beyond, and from the same job the water tank outlet vanished. Was not in my tool box, 9 month later I’m still clueless.

Never seen anybody train volounteers on their earth leakage testing…

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At St Albans District Fixers we always buddy a new fixer with an established one for their first session, at least. All fixers have to read and sign our Safety Instructions annually.

Most groups PAT test all mains items on arrival and again before leaving.

An airborne spring or circlip or a lost screw can happen to anyone. Judge not and you won’t be judged!

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It can be difficulty to meaningfully upload your data to the Fixometer just from the info captured on a flipchart, so early on we introduced fixers’ records, on which we ask fixers to record each fix in just a little more detail (what was wrong? How did you fix it or what stopped you doing so?). But then we found we had difficulty reconciling the fixers records with the all the flipcharts entries! So we now hand out a post-it with a serial number to each participant, record the serial number on the flip chart and ask fixers to record it on their fixers records. Generally works quite well.

Normally we have our fixers working in pairs. They seem to like working with another fixer, it builds cammaraderie, aids skill sharing and problem solving, and fixers don’t feel the pressure of it all being up to them.

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Nunhead use postit notes too (not serialised), and very successfully. They can easily handle the deluge of people waiting outside.

336 use google sheets and forms with a tablet. Looks neat and tidy, but it can be hard to cope with backend changes (you have to re-publish the new sheet), not a big issue - except when you are in a rush, and you have to remember intricacies. The process of putting in the data into google forms is slow, much faster to write john bad laptop and stick it on top of a board, when John gets his turn, the postit moves from the top to the bottom of the board, is both simple and fast. If you offer clothing repair too, use two different colours of posits

I think were the spreadsheet shines is that while the even is running you can sign off the call details as they leave, making the event stats easier, but think 336 use paper, and lets us fixers put write on it (I rarely do, other stuff happening)

Big tip learned from two other cafe’s that I have never visited (Tooting fixers and Rotherhithe Repair Café) vs 336, don’t all have your events on the same day (first Saturday of the month), often hard to get reliable volunteers, and they are often thinly spread. Speak and visit each other, there is no contest between the groups, no ‘repair group of the year’ award, and do choose an alternative day if there are other events held near by. As a fixer at Nunhead, if a part was needed I have told a few guest to buy the parts and “visit me next week in 336, or wait a month”. At 336 I have told the person that this is what you need (from ebay), “get it fixed next week at Putney, I’m sure they will help you, but I do not go to that event.” - too far, one way nearly 2 hours travel for a 2 hour event

Quieter events just have a piece of ruled paper, first come, first served.

The other method I have seen is where the group uses Eventbright.com and book one hour slots - think booking cost £2 if you do not attend, but is refundable if you do (to prevent no-shows). The guest arrives at a pre-determined time. If the fixers previous fix has over run say 30 mins, the group organiser may remind you the next person has already been waiting 30 mins, and asked to hurry up. Personally, to me this feels more like a job than a charitable service, but does prevent a deluge of people, and you get to know the workload in advance

Dont leave your consumables, plugs, fuses, glue etc, in an open area easily accessible to the public, as some see it akin to leaving chocolate on the pillow of a guest house :wink:

Buy you volunteers things to use, like plugs, fuses, glue (super glue, multiple tubes from a pound store or Ali, and don’t put them all out), heatshrink, etc, otherwise they will quickly feel irked that they have to keep dipping into their pockets to buy stuff for guests, or complain to guests, and it also demotivates the other fixers. Don’t ignore your volunteers.

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@neil and myself compiled this document that has some useful info:

Repair data collection tips and tools - An examination of data recording practices at repair events

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You can see the resources that Cambridgeshire repair network provides for its members here: https://cambridgecarbonfootprint.org/what-we-do/repair-cafes/repair-cafe-organisers-hub/

In my experience there is a lot of variation between how different groups want to run, which means there isn’t a one-size-fits-all template. Some prefer to have mostly prebooked items to allow fixable items to be prioritised at the expense of always-unfixable items; while others prefer to offer walk-in only, to avoid making planning and committing a barrier to getting an item fixed.

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There’s perhaps differences for one off single events vs more permanent repair spaces. We run a repair shop 3 times a week with volunteers. This drives different dynamics. It helps in some respects as you don’t have as much time pressure to find a solution and you can hold onto items awaiting parts or repair, but that also adds its own logistics of keeping track of appliances, esp when disassembled awaiting parts. Equally, having a repair space allows you to take on furniture repairs, etc but also may restrict repairs of certain items due to insurance on the building.

It would be great to have a separate resource/advice for groups moving from cafes and events to a permanent repair space and the things you need to consider for that transition.

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Hi Josie

Any more hints and tips regarding restarter recruitment would be useful please, including how to either run or be included in a training session. Occasional First aid training would be helpful in arranging or fullfilling insurance cover requirements.

Perhaps a cap on the number of events that can take place in a given area (e.g. West, NW and SW London) either on one day or over a weekend would be helpful?

Just thought of one other thing!

A quick guide as to how to get the best out of restarters.nt regrding communicatiing with potential fixers. I seem to do it differently every time!

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If you contact a local hospital, ask to speak to the medical equipment department, request to speak you the senior manager, put your case forward, and ask him to email staff. You also contact local universities. These groups have a more social work ethic, rather than “I’m not working for free?”

The bigger establishments may have a green, or recycling person, and they often have a daily or weekly newsletter, or website. - free advertising, and recruitment too.

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Risk assessments, some repair cafe insurer’s require these to be completed. So a set of genetic ones, to get groups started.

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Hi Rosemary

I thought I would share our experience regarding first aid. We are a large repair cafe where we can have up to 80 items coming in per month and a volunteer team of 40. We decided to apply for grant funding for Emergency First Aid at Work training, which has given those who went on the training a 3 year qualification. I had no problem arguing for the funding and we had 5 repair cafes come together for a full class of 12 trainees.

We now have a qualified first aider at every session, which gives confidence to the public and our team that we are being run responsibly.

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