An Isle of Wight repair cafe has received a boost this week – thanks to a donation from bus operator, Southern Vectis, and Hurst.
The monthly Repair Café project, based at Quay Arts Centre in Newport, is run by as group of volunteers who fix broken objects that might otherwise end up on the scrap heap.
Tracey Darch from the Repair Café.
“Our volunteers repair a whole range of items – from domestic household goods like toasters, kettles and lamps to people’s treasured possessions,
“In order to carry out this work free-of-charge, our volunteers provide items like electrical parts, cable and electrical tape themselves, which is very good of them but we wondered whether we might be able to get a donation instead – so we applied to Southern Vectis for some help through its community fund.
“We were delighted to received £300 worth of vouchers from the Hurst store – which is perfect because it’s just across the road from where we are based at Quay Arts Centre. These vouchers should keep us supplied for the next year – so we’re very grateful to both Southern Vectis and Hurst for their generosity.”
Simon Moye, Southern Vectis operations manager, said:
“The Repair Cafe is a wonderful local resource, which not only helps prevent items being sent to landfill but also equips volunteers with new skills.
Article continues below this advertisement “We were delighted to provide £250 worth of vouchers from our community fund – which Hurst kindly topped up to £300. I wish this incredibly worthwhile project much success over the coming year.”
Mark Hartnell from Hurst added:
“It is an absolute pleasure to support such a positive and creative project! All of us at W Hurst & Son wish the Repair Cafe every success for the future.”
The Southern Vectis Community Fund is open to applicants all year round but the next funding allocation is due in May 2023. To apply, groups should visit Southern Vectis’ website and provide details about their cause, what they need, and the difference the support might make to their organisation.
