Cornerstone Church Repair Cafe - 183 Witham Rd, Black Notley, Braintree, CM77 8NB.
Cressing Temple Community Shed - Witham Rd, Cressing, Braintree, CM77 8PD.
Repair communities
Learn and share repair skills by joining a local repair community.
Image
Repairing an item doesn’t have to be a solitary task. From repair cafés to sewing groups, there are many repair-focused communities that operate across Essex.
Getting involved in these groups can be a great way to share skills, meet new people, and work together to reduce waste.
The benefits of repair
Almost 70% of people in the UK say they try to get an item repaired before throwing it away. However, only 43% of people report successfully repairing an item of clothing. This drops to just 20% for electrical items.
This results in precious resources often being sent to landfill and increases the amount of raw materials being extracted to keep up with the consumer demand for new products.
Repair communities aim to prevent our old and broken goods from being discarded. They bring people together to share valuable skills, save money, and help us use our items for even longer.
Search for a repair community near you
Braintree
Brentwood
Brentwood Men's Shed - 56-60 Doddinghurst Road, Brentwood, CM15 9EH.
Castle Point
Thundersley Men’s Shed by Carers Choices - Carers Choices, The White House, Kiln Road, Benfleet, SS7 1BU.
Chelmsford
Chelmsford Men's Shed - Burgess Well House, Coval Lane, Chelmsford, CM1 1FW.
Danbury Village Shed - 19 Rumsey Fields, Danbury, Chelmsford, CM3 4RH.
South Woodham Ferrers Men's Shed - 19 Woodham Halt, South Woodham Ferrers, CM3 5JB.
Colchester
Colchester LEAF - 27-28 Priory Walk, Colchester, United Kingdom, CO1 1LG.
North Colchester Men's Shed - Contact for address.
Epping Forest
Theydon Repair Cafe - St Mary's Church Hall, Coppice Row, Theydon Bois, Epping, CM16.
Ace Upcycling - Various locations.
Harlow
Harlow Community Men’s Shed - Pets Corner, C/o, Edinburgh Way, Harlow, CM20 2QG.
Maldon
Maldon Men’s Shed - Old Mortuary Building, London Road, Maldon, CM9 6JL.
Southminster Railway Shed - The Station House, Station Approach, Southminster, CM0 7EN.
Rochford
East Essex Hackspace - Clements Hall Pavilion, Park Gardens, Hockley, SS5 4HF.
Hawkwell Shed - Rectory Road, Rochford, SS4 1UG.
Men’s Shed Rayleigh Weir - Mens Shed Rayleigh, 7 Brook Road, Rayleigh, SS6 7UT.
Tendring
The Red Lion Manningtree Repair Cafe - 42 South Street, Manningtree, CO11 1BG.
Uttlesford
Barnston Men’s Shed - Parkerscroft, Sallets Green, High Easter Rd Dunmow, Essex, CM6 1ND.
We advise contacting your local repair group to find out more information about joining their next session.
Online communities
Alternatively, you might be interested in joining an online group such as Freegle or Eco Essex Rehome, Reuse, Repurpose. Like-minded individuals often advertise repairable items to gift or find someone with the necessary skills.
If you’re involved in the running of a repair-focused community group in Essex, we welcome you to share your experiences and tell us how we can better support you. Feel free to email us at love.essex@essex.co.uk or message us directly on our Instagram or Facebook pages.
Essex County Council cannot be held responsible for the safety of any residents that repair items themselves or in community repair groups. We would strongly recommend that anyone wishing to repair goods via this route seek advice on how to check the safety of consumer items.