Fernhurst Hub holds its first Repair Café

Veronica Correa took in two bears (combined bear age 140 years) for repair.

The Fernhurst Hub, the coffee shop and education centre in the heart of the village, hosted a busy day of repairs and reminiscences on Saturday March 25.

Seven skilled mender volunteers were on hand to assess and repair the thirty seven items brought in for repair, those repaired immediately on site included an iron, puffer jacket, toaster, bike, toy gun, clock and a couple of telescopic garden pruners.

Following the lead of Love Haslemere Hate Waste, with whom the Hub collaborates, there will be regular Repair Cafés in Fernhurst and in between times, broken items can be directed to Haslemere’s first Saturday of the month event.

Manager Liz Rawlings said: “We are delighted to stop broken electrical and mechanical items being sent to landfill but people are also bringing in their cherished heirlooms for restoration to their former glory. We’ve received two teddies with a combined age of 140 today and a hand-made tapestry cushion given as a wedding present but recently chewed by a dog.”

,Eric Willner and Jennifer de Fries, who was delighted to have her clock repaired as she knows her hearing aids are working when she can hear it strike.

The event is part of the Hub’s broader Green Agenda, adopted over a year ago. This includes a lending library of Green Reads providing information about all aspects of sustainability and collaboration with the Fernhurst Primary School in educating and demonstrating care for the environment.

Volunteers Ramy Salameh and Kitty Aycinena booked in the eclectic items and allocated them to the waiting specialists.

Assistant Manager Pauline Colcutt said: “We couldn’t host this event without our amazing repairers, it is incredible what skills there are in this village. We have three electrical experts here, Helen Cussen, Eric Willner and Sandy Polak and on the sewing side, we are lucky to have experienced seamstresses Denise Holmes and Veronica Correa, all giving their time for free. The team is completed with Tom Peddar from the Bike Guys near Milland and Daniel Aycinena, a general woodwork & DIY specialist.”

The next Saturday event at the Fernhurst Hub will be an Antiques Valuation Day on June 3, following last year’s sell out day attended by 2 experts from John Nicholson Auctioneers. For more information about this and all other activities at the Hub see fernhursthub.org.uk