Skill share Opportunity: Bring and Fix

Due to recent demand we have been running sewing and clothes repair workshops along side knit and natter in the Union the past few weeks. People seem to be really interested in repairing their old items rather than throwing them away so maybe focusing on how to repair old clothes, shoes, bicycles and household items would be popular as a way of socialising but also saving money.

Knit, natter and clothes mending workshop

Socialising and Saving Money seems to be a good hook for students.

My friend Boris passed on this article about a Bring and Fix event held down in London:

We have all suffered the annoying experience of having the sole of a shoe ‘flapping about’ because it has come apart and needs gluing back to the shoe, or having buttons missing on a shirt! Or, things left broken on a shelf for ages, the niggly stuff like how to remove stains, or some practical ‘good old advice’ for a bugging issue.

Something to be checked over by a critical friend. An older person struggles with using a mobile phone or a computer: why couldn’t a neighbour or local person show them how to? There is probably one, but there hasn’t been an opportunity for those two people to meet and connect.

Bring & Fix is an intergenerational fair that brings together local people of different ages under one roof to share their skills and knowledge. It is an event where individuals ‘fix’ small things for each other, seek and provide advice and come up with solutions. It aims to connect generations and build sustainable communities through recognisable events that can be repeated in one’s locality or community on a regular basis. It’s a celebration of the talent and skills in our neighbourhoods, and by re-using and recycling it also reduces waste.

EXAMPLES OF SKILLS THAT CAN BE USED

• Putting something back together, gluing something
• Sewing a button back on, hemming a garment
• Knitting, quilting, embroidery advice
• Recycling clothes
• Resolving a computer or IT issue
• Teaching someone how to use camera or mobile phone. How to Google
• Gardening advice
• Repairing/maintaining a bicycle
• Advice on food, cooking
• Help with a presentation, something to write up, editing
• Budgeting; basic understanding of accounting reports

WHO CAN IT BE FOR?
Any community, group, club, or association can use Bring and Fix to bring their neighbours together.

• A seasonal celebration and for a specific group– e.g. International Women’s Day where a group of women could get together to use the event to fundraise for a women’s cause
• It could be run on themes like health; gardening; small repairs; sewing; recycling; IT; workshops for job applicants.
• A fundraising opportunity: for every item fixed, each participating person of a community donates money to a chosen charity

INFORMATION ABOUT HOW TO PLAN AND RUN A BRING AND FIX EVENT

Contact Philippe Granger, Development Manager at Rushey Green Time Bank Tel: 020 7 1381772
email: bringandfix@rgtb.org.uk

• Bring and Fix is a creation of Philippe Granger and is part of the London Leaders 2011 programmesupported by the London Sustainable Development Commission. Watch a video here.

NESTA innovation in giving fund - Bring and Fix from Marcel Bird Wieteska on Vimeo.

Bring & Fix | CLES