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.
What makes Berko a good fit for something like the Repair Café?
Berkhamsted has a sea of people who want to help our town, its people, and our planet. Local repairer Richard Frankel brought the idea to Open Door in 2021 after volunteering at Aston Clinton's Repair Café. It thrived there for several years before needing more space. Last year we partnered with Northchurch Social Centre and EcoBerko, a group passionate about making Berkhamsted a thriving, sustainable community powered by clean energy with nature at its heart. Since relaunching, we've welcomed around 50 people each session - some just for a cuppa!
For people who’ve never been, what actually happens at the Repair Café?
At its simplest, Repair Cafés are about fixing your broken things - frayed t-shirts, broken irons, toys, cut hedge trimmer cables (we get lots of those!), side tables...all sorts! Pop down to Northchurch Social Centre on the first Saturday of every month, 9:30-12:30 (come early - we may not accept repairs after 11:30 when busy. We don't run in Jan and August).
Our volunteers (who run on tea and cake!) will check you in and queue your item. Stay for a cuppa & pastry in our cafe area, enjoy the buzzy atmosphere and chat with repairers as they work - we love sharing skills and providing community space. Or go away and collect by 12:15. We get around 60 items through the door with a 60-70% fix rate. Afterwards, you're invited to donate for your repair and refreshments. All donations (after costs) are split between our 5 charities chosen by volunteers: Hector's House, Hospice of St Francis, Swan Youth Centre, Northchurch Social Centre and EcoBerko. Can't fix it? We'll provide advice on specialist services or spare parts needed.
What’s the most unusual or memorable thing someone’s brought in to be fixed?
One repairer recalls an unusual 'musical dog' toy, which had been very well loved - it needed new paws, and a new winder mechanism to make it musical again! All lovingly repaired by both our textiles, and mechanical volunteers. Just before Christmas we had an equally unusual Victorian wooden fire guard, which was on a stand so as to guard the ladies make up from the heat of the fire! In October in our first session at our new home Northchurch Social Centre, we welcomed the Mayor of Dacorum and had the pleasure of mending one of her robes and a couple of her hats as well!
What’s the best reaction you’ve had from someone when you’ve fixed their item?
I remember an older lady bringing in a handheld slide projector. Her parents had loved photography and had so many slides of family trips. They'd died long ago and she'd had to get rid of the big projector and most slides, but kept this handheld one. The light hadn't worked for years. Our clever repairer fixed it - she was so delighted, placing the slide in and exclaiming with tears as she saw her parents on a beach for the first time in ages. Another repairer remembers fixing a heart shaped locket necklace's tiny spring - cue more tears! Sometimes it's 'Repair Shop' style emotional moments, but other times just the joy that someone doesn't need to buy a new kettle makes our day! And we're always delighted by donations to our charities - sometimes for things we can't even fix!
If someone’s on the fence about bringing something in, what would you tell them?
Just come! We'd love to welcome you. We'll always chat about your item - often things are sentimental and important to people, so we're always as sensitive to that as we can be. Also, donations are optional and only for people to give what they can, so if it's the cost that's stopping you, please don't let it.
Every first Saturday of the month | Northchurch Social Club | 09:30 - 12:30
Furr | Blitzen Trapper
California Zephyr | Jay Farrar
What About The Children | Gary Clark Jr. & Stevie Wonder
What’s happenin’ this week
10 Feb | Berkhamsted Civic Centre | 20:00 | Maria — film screening presented by the Berkhamsted Film Society | Details
11 Feb | The Highwayman | 19:30 | Quiz Night
11 Feb | The Crystal Palace | 19:30 | Quiz Night
11 Feb | Berkhamsted Civic Centre | 10:30 | The Roots of Jazz — presented by The Arts Society Tring Park and Emma Johnson, this talk looks at the part African Blues and Cakewalk played in the story of jazz | Details
12 Feb | The George & Dragon | 19:30 | Musical Bingo
12 Feb | FAIRE | 18:00 - 22:00 | Asian Tapas — Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays through February and March, featuring bubbles, cocktails and tunes
13 Feb | Mad Squirrel | 19:00 - 21:00 | Rip, Sparky & The Ruckus — A delightful mix of country with a bit of rock thrown in; great fun for all
14 Feb | The Goat | 21:00 | Chapter Six — free entry; six-piece covers band specialising in songs from the 1950s
14 Feb | St. Peter and St. Paul Anglican Church, Tring | 19:30 | 50 Years of Pink Floyd — Candlelight Strings — reimagined for string orchestra, experience the greatest music of all time adapted for the divine string orchestration | Details
14 Feb | The George & Dragon | 16:00 - 19:00 | Live Music & Food Truck — Performers Maddie & Tom and food vendor Bollywood Bites
14 Feb | Berkhamsted Civic Centre | 19:30 | Lumas Winds — an ensemble based in London committed to promoting the rich variety of wind chamber music repertoire | Details
15 Feb | The Vyne Theatre | 14:00 | Woolf Works — created in 2015 for The Royal Ballet, this Olivier-award winning ballet triptych captures the heart of Woolf’s uniquely artistic spirit | Details
15 Feb | High Street | 10:00 - 14:00 | Farmers Market — opportunity for local customers to buy high-quality produce directly from the producer.
16 Feb | The Bull | 19:00 | Quiz Night — £12pp entry + prizes to be won + inc. food at half time (£2 of entry fee goes to Mind Mental Health)
16 - 20 Feb | Berkhamsted School Kings Campus | 09:00 - 16:00 | Tech Camp — for children 5-11, hands-on activities in coding, robotics, engineering, circuitry, and more | Details
If you want to tell us (and other locals!) about something happening, use this form!
Movie Pick of the Week
12 Feb | The Rex | 14:00 | The Choral (12A)
With a brand new original screenplay by Alan Bennett (his first in 40 years), it is set during the First World War in a mill town in northern England where the choral society has appointed a new choirmaster, Dr Guthrie (Ralph Fiennes).
Berko Sports
10 Feb | Berkhamsted FC | Men’s First Team | 19:45 KO (a) | vs. Bracknell Town
14 Feb | Berkhamsted FC | Men’s First Team | 15:00 KO (h) | vs. Taunton Town
15 Feb | Berkhamsted FC | Ladies | 14:00 KO (a) | vs. Wootton Cross Lionesses Women
Special Adoption Edition
That’s it for this week.
If you spotted something useful, do pass it on. Nothing should go to waste.
We’re always on the lookout for stories and partnerships. Feel free to hit reply and get in touch.
— from Berko.