A MILESTONE was reached at the Llandrindod Repair Café event on Saturday, February 9: a total of 1,000 items have been repaired since the café began in 2014.

The 1,000th item was a kitchen knife that required sharpening.

Other items repaired on the day included a vacuum cleaner, a portable CD player, a jumper, a bicycle, and a garden rake.

The most frequent jobs at the Repair Café are repairs to small electrical items and sharpening of tools such as knives, secateurs and axes.

However, the team will attempt to fix almost anything: unusual items mended over the years have included a singing Elvis head, a large garden parasol that needed a winch adding to it, and an outboard motor.

Joe Botting, one of the organisers, said: “The Repair Café team would like to thank all the volunteers who have worked hard to make the café so successful, and everyone who has brought items to be mended over the last few years.

“It is now the longest-running repair café in Wales, and we’re also helping other people to set up similar ones elsewhere. Long may it continue!”

The Repair Café is one of the projects organised by Trawsnewid Llandrindod Transition. Events are held at Centre CELF, Tremont Road, Llandrindod, from 2 to 5pm on the second Saturday of the month from February to November.

The café is funded entirely by donations, and welcomes new volunteers, both to help with the practicalities of the event and to share their expertise in fixing things.

The cafe said on Facebook: “Diolch yn fawr iawn to all of our talented ‘fixperts’ who have made this possible, and of course to all of you who take the time to bring items to the Repair Cafe to be fixed rather than throwing them away.”