A valued piece of equipment owned by Histon High Street business, Print-Out, has been saved from landfill thanks to the generosity and skills of volunteers from the Cambridgeshire Repair Café team.
Talking to HI HUB, Print-Out’s Mike Johnson said: “When our autocreaser machine broke down, it appeared that its working life had come to an abrupt end. The manufacturer said that they would/could not inspect machines more than seven years old, and even if they did, replacement parts were unlikely to be available. We did try to fix it ourselves but it seemed we might have no choice but to scrap it and purchase another costly machine.
“Unwilling to accept this negativity, I contacted Nicole Barton at Cambridge Carbon Footprint. Nicole was confident that one or two volunteers from the Repair Café team might be interested in taking a look. Before long, Mark Irving and Chris Lowden from Histon Repair Café arrived and began carefully investigating the fault”.
Investigations confirmed that the cause of the breakdown was simply a stuck magnetic switch. No replacements parts were needed and this vital piece of machinery was, once again, fully functioning.
“I couldn’t bear the thought of a substantial and otherwise serviceable machine being sent to landfill because of such a minor fault”, explained Mike. “Full marks and heartfelt thanks to Nicole, Cambridge Carbon Footprint and the Repair Café volunteers Mark and Chris for bringing it back to life. Their skill and generosity prevented unnecessary waste and saved us the expense of buying a replacement”.
Repair Café returns to Histon
And there is further good news for those with items they wish to save from landfill with confirmation that the repairers will return to Histon again this October making this our community’s third event in the last 12 months. Organisers Tony Russell and Louise Baker told HI HUB:
“Bookings for October’s event will go live this week on local social media and, additionally, via the Cambridge Carbon Footprint website. We encourage people to book in advance. Walk-in bookings are available on the day but if not booked in ahead it might mean a short wait until a repairer becomes available”.
Repairers can take a wide variety of household and garden appliances – mechanical, electrical or electronic. Also welcome are sewing machines, and lawn mowers along with tool sharpening and repairs to clothing, textiles, furniture and ceramics.
“Our wonderful team of repairers, some from our villages, are looking forward to seeing what can be saved from landfill, and maybe passing on some skills”, shared Louise. “Our last two events have seen a huge variety of items coming in to be fixed, as well as people of all ages enjoying the buzzy community atmosphere and the delicious cakes and refreshments on offer”
The next Histon Repair Café is Sat 10th October from 2pm until 5pm at Histon Baptist Church CB24 9LQ. Advance repair bookings can be made via the Cambridge Carbon Footprint website. Questions can be sent to the team at histonrepaircafe@gmail.com.
READ MORE: Extract more life from your possessions – join the repair movement
Hi John that’s a lovely message. I can contact Chris and ask him to get in touch. Nicole
It is so nice to hear how these experienced engineers can use their skills to get broken down equipment running again and save things going to the tip. As a point of interest did one of those engineers Chris Lowden used to work at Philips Business Systems at Cromwell Road? if so I would love to catch up again with him as I used to work there too and Chris helped me out on many occasions. If it is the same Chris Lowden could you please pass on my request and ask him to contact me. Thank you. John Chipchase