Community groups and retailers across Greater Manchester have
signed up to take part in this year's Repair Week 2025 to rally
residents around a ‘repair revolution'.
During Repair Week residents have the opportunity to attend
workshops to get their various items repaired and to learn
valuable repair skills from community groups local to them.
Research commissioned by Recycle for Greater Manchester (R4GM)
found that kettles, shoes and clothing were the most common items
thrown away without checking if repairs could be made to them
instead.
It also found that nearly 60% of residents were worried about the
cost of replacing broken items in the coming year and that over
70% of residents surveyed would like to be able to repair more
themselves, but don't know how.
Repair Week empower or to have these items fixed by experts.
Cllr , GMCA's lead for the Green City-Region and Waste and
Recycling, said:
“Repair Week and all of the superb community groups that take
part in it do so much good work in inspiring our residents to
waste less and repair more. There are so many great options
for repairing items in communities across the
city-region and it's great to see Repair Week back for another
year to shine a spotlight on this.
“Creating a strong network of repair communities across Greater
Manchester will ensure that every resident has the chance to
repair their household items locally and provide so many of the
other benefits that comes with being involved in your local
community.”
Some of the community events residents can attend include:
- Free bike diagnosis and tips to get your bike on the road or
trails safely at the Decathalon in Stockport (George's Road) and
Bolton (Middlebrook) - all week
- Manchester's Library of Things (Levenshulme Old Library, M19
3QE) is launching a new session on Wednesdays to give people more
opportunities for to borrow the tools and equipment they need,
exactly when you need them, to tackle more repairs at home for an
affordable price. On the Wednesday of Repair Week (March 5) five
annual memberships are being given away by the Library of Things
to people who attend for the first time or those who reserve an
item online any time during Repair Week.
- A number of local repair cafes where residents can meet
people in their local community with the skills to help them
repair their household goods. This includes Bramhall (Bramhall
Methodist Church) and Heatons (Community Hall behind St Paul's
Church, Stockport)
R4GM research did find that many residents had done common
household repairs to prevent items going to waste, with Repair
Week giving people the opportunity to expand on these skills to
save even more items.
Nearly 40% said they had repaired a plug in the past year, with
more than half (52%) saying they had removed a stain from
clothing or other textiles. More than 37% said they had replaced
a button on clothing themselves too.
Electrical items, bicycles and bathroom fixtures/fittings were
the most common items that residents had repaired by a
professional within the last year. Residents can learn how to
repair these items with community groups throughout Repair Week,
creating local repair networks across the city-region.
As well as workshops and other repair sessions, there are a
number of free videos on the Recycle for Greater Manchester
website offering practical guidance for repairing many household
items.
A list of the activities and events taking place, including at
the Renew Hub, can be found here.
