Hello, Berko!
Half-term week and Valentine's Day are just around the corner and there’s plenty happening around town to satisfy both.
This week, we're going Behind the Counter at Berko Repair Café to meet the volunteers fixing everything from kettles to heirlooms.
On the bench this week:
Behind the Counter: Berko Repair Café
What's happenin’
Sports, dogs (special adoption edition) & music
Let's get into it.
If it ain’t broke… go along to the Berko Repair Café anyway.
We’ve all got that drawer full of things that don’t quite work anymore. In our house, it’s called the ‘drawer of wonders’. There’s not much wonderful about the drawer but the same can’t be said of the Berko Repair Café.
Run by volunteers, the Repair Cafe has been fixing wonky furniture, worn-out electricals and family heirlooms since 2021. It operates in partnership with EcoBerko and Northchurch Social Centre; bring in something broken and the odds are good that someone can fix it. Good conversations and a warm community are guaranteed.
Look a little deeper and you see that the Berko Repair Café is mending more than faulty wiring. In a world of next-day delivery, they’re bringing back something refreshingly old-school: figuring stuff out, together, with a cup of tea.
Below, co-founder Anna shares more about how the café works and how your own ‘drawer of wonders’ might just hold the key to closer community connection.