Repair Week 2025 - Celebrating resident repairers!
Hey resident repairers! It's that time of year again - Repair Week 2025 is running from Monday 3 March to Sunday 9 March. This week is all about giving your broken items a second chance.
Instead of tossing out that wobbly chair or that old toaster, why not fix it? Repair Week is a fantastic opportunity to pick up some new skills, share your repair knowledge with others, and reduce waste in our communities.
Every day, household belongings, from furniture to clothes to gadgets, are being thrown away after picking up some damage. While some things might end up beyond repair, and should be disposed of or recycled correctly, a lot could be saved with a little know-how and confidence!
The great thing is that picking up a tool and repairing our old belongings is already second nature to many Essex residents! Almost two thirds of residents reported that they have repaired an item before throwing it away in the last three months.
Unfortunately, the main barrier to repairing is a perceived lack of skills and, therefore, confidence in one’s ability to repair something. Only 43% of residents report successfully repairing an item of clothing, and this drops to just 20% for electrical items. This means a lot of repairable items are being thrown away instead of getting a new lease of life.
To help residents take part in Repair Week, we are promoting our three repair webpages, Repair Communities, Skill Seekers, and Repair Inspiration, across our social media channels and newsletter. Whether you upcycle an item yourself, take it to a repair shop, or attend a repair cafe, we hope Essex residents can pick up some new knowledge and creative inspiration to support their repair ambitions.
To show off all the creative and green-thumbed repair work going on in Essex, at the end of Repair Week, we will be spotlighting residents’ reuse and repair projects across our social media. To take part and get your repair work shared by us, reach out and send a picture and description of your work to one of our social media inboxes, tag us @loveessexuk, or email love.essex@essex.gov.uk.