A CAFE with an environmentally friendly twist opened its doors in Conwy last week, enjoying a ‘soft’ launch which proved far busier than anticipated.

Repair Cafe Conwy, the latest to open through the Friends of the Earth-backed project, Repair Cafe Wales, opened to the public for the first time at St Mary’s Church hall in Conwy on Wednesday, October 13.

People from Conwy, Deganwy, Glan Conwy, Rhos-on-Sea, Llanfairfechan, Abergele and Colwyn Bay attended the event, with eight items fully repaired and advice given for several others by the ‘fixperts’ volunteering.

Those who wanted to see if their belongings could be fixed also had the privilege of enjoying a hot drink or a piece of cake, as provided by the volunteers.

Karin Bruns, who helped set up Repair Cafe Conwy, said: “We had a really great ‘soft’ launch - actually not soft at all!

“The public streamed in steadily but constantly to have a nosy, bringing their kettle all the way on the bus from Colwyn Bay, trusting us with their favourite crockery or roofing trousers and enjoying a cuppa and a home-baked cake.

“The purpose of the events is to bring about a shift away from consumerism and viewing household items as disposable.

“We don’t want to take business away from local businesses; we want to show people how to fix their items.

“We want to try to avoid as many things going to landfills as possible. People should be encouraged to get their things repaired.”

Repair Cafe Conwy has started as a monthly event, and will be returning to St Mary’s Church hall on Sunday, November 14, where Karin hopes its appeal might begin to spread to a wider demographic.

At last week’s event, three new volunteers also signed up to help in future, and she wants this to continue with people of all ages.

Karin added: “People who came in to see us even said: ‘I wonder what I could bring to this, I would like to volunteer with you’.

“These were mainly retired people who already have the time, but we would also like to attract a different demographic; young people who are maybe not in such good financial positions and so they need to get their things fixed, or want to be shown how to get them fixed.

“We are already getting enquiries on Facebook for things to bring next time.

“It was a really good vibe; lots of people were very grateful for being able to bring their things in.”

For more information, visit Repair Cafe Conwy’s Facebook page at: www.facebook.com/groups/conwyrepaircafe.

If you would like to get involved, please email repair.cafe.conwy@gmail.com or register your availability and capabilities for the Conwy Repair Cafe at www.repaircafewales.org/volunteer-form.