Gravesham Repair Café

It's now April 2026 We've been running Gravesham Repair Café for over two years and some types of repair have cropped up many times. Bicycle brakes It might be that brake pads or blocks have worn down and need replacing. but it's pretty usual that they are rubbed smooth or out of alignment.  A bit of sandpapering can roughen them up temporarily and adjusting their position can fix the alignment. Another common issue is the brake cables stretching over time and they need adjusting to take up the slack. Bicycle chain and gears Bikes are lightweight for obvious reasons so the metalwork isn't particularly strong.  We often receive bikes that have been dropped or knocked over resulting in misaligned gears and chains.  This might require a bit of brute force bending things back in place but usually just needs adjustment. Bicycle punctures Unlike car tyres bikes have inner tubes inside their tyres.  When these are punctured they can be patched with a sticky patch ...

Recently, a lovely couple visited our Repair Café with a cherished musical snow globe that holds deep sentimental value. This snow globe is a precious souvenir of a trip to New York 20 years ago, where bride-to-be Lenalouise and her mother chose wedding outfits together, just eight years before Lenalouise’s untimely passing.   Lenalouise was a remarkable talent, winning numerous trophies for her singing and dancing. At just 10 years old, she performed in a London theatre, where she had the incredible opportunity to meet Princess Diana and many stars. Her passion for performing shone brightly, and her mother recalls how she truly came alive on stage. Though her time with her family and friends was far too short, Lenalouise filled her life and theirs with joy and achievement, leaving behind a legacy of love and cherished memories.     Unfortunately the snow globe was now leaking so her parents brought it to our Repair Café. One of our repairers was glad to refill it and rep...

This was our last Repair Café in Vigo for 2024 hence the Christmas outfits. We had another successful event with plenty of items brought for attention.  So many that one of us was still reassembling a repaired vacuum cleaner after colleagues had cleared away the other tables and chairs. Record player, coffee grinder, music box, valve driven tape recorder, antique clock... you name it. As ever we captured some photos of the day. And some ladies returned to continue making emergency blankets from crisp packets.  How clever!

This was our first Repair Café at St George's Church Hall. Since first running our Repair Café events a year ago we steadily saw an increase in the number of visitors wanting things mended.  It reached the point where our previous venue in Northfleet could no longer cope so this month we relocated to larger premises.   It's as well we did relocate.  This was our busiest event ever.  At times there were people waiting up to an hour for attention, but at least they could sit and enjoy tea and biscuits (still free of charge). We were also joined by representatives of Ebbsfleet Development Corporation and Bellway Homes as a follow up to the generous support they have given us. As ever we gathered a number of photos from the day - here are just a few.  You may be able to guess what each item was that came in for diagnosis and repair. Time for a cuppa ! And finally some group photos while one member treated us to Christmas carols on his flute.

COMPETITION ENDED - We Won!   See result Gravesham Friendly Society has launched a community funding initiative. Our Repair Café is one of the local groups hoping to win a donation that will help us cope with more Gravesham residents wanting things repaired. You are invited to nominate us for the award for a chance to win yourself a prize .  It's only a few seconds effort. Follow the link below, click to nominate Gravesham Repair Café and fill in who you are so that you can receive the prize for the lucky winner. Nominate the Repair Café Gravesham Friendly has provided financial support to the community since 1877.  Member benefits include £100 a week payments when off work through sickness; plus other health related grants.  Learn more here . "I was in hospital this year and received £30 per night.  I also received £200 toward the cost of my last pair of glasses."   M.A. (member)

It was another busy day at Vigo Village Hall.  Two Vigo residents have now joined the group as repairers.  Many thanks - you were very helpful.  See you next month. We also had strong interest from a couple of other potential repairers.  The Vigo Repair Cafés are slowly becoming staffed by local residents which was always the goal.    And what did visitors bring for repair?  See for yourself: Air purifier Clock   CD player   Coat   Radio   Hair drier   Bike There we other items successfully repaired such as a vacuum cleaner and a record player, but we didn't photograph everything.  It was a bit busy.

This was our last Repair Café at Northfleet Veterans Club.  We've steadily received more visitors since we started a year ago and there is no longer sufficient parking to cope.  For this reason we are relocating to Gravesend - St George's Church Hall. Future Repair Cafés will be at St George's on the first Thursday of the month.  The Vigo Repair Cafés will continue as now on the second Saturdays. We also enjoyed a visit from representatives of Ebbsfleet Garden City who have provided some social funding for our endeavors to help the local community. Let's see some other photos of this November at Northfleet ...