AN environmental enthusiast from Basingstoke has been given a grant to start a new Repair Café and hopes to minimise household waste by repairing items that would have been dumped.

Derek Prior who lives in Heckfield has been awarded nearly £1,500 from Hampshire County Council to set up a new repair shop.

He said: “A repair café is a community voluntary run organisation whereby householders once a month take their broken household items whether it’s a toaster, clothing, tools or furniture. A team of volunteers then does their very best to repair it for free.”

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He said the idea is to “prevent waste and save greenhouse gas” while we just ask households to provide a donation to cover the running costs where they can.

He added: “It is a community benefit to try and reduce waste and it also prevents us having to find other stuff if we can fix stuff. Most people don’t have the skills for DIY support or repair or fixing but a team of volunteers are happy to do it.”

The Repair Café North Hampshire will cover Odiham, Hartley Wintney, Hook, Sherfield-on-Loddon and surrounding villages.

Derek said he thinks it is a really “critical idea”.

He added: “We have currently got a climate emergency and we have got too much stuff being thrown into bins and then we go and buy new stuff, which cost us money that we don’t have.

“All of this results in lots more greenhouse gases so it is a huge environmental issue and this is something good we can do.

“In 1976 I did a PhD on minimising air pollution because I was passionate about the environmental waste and that gave me a lifelong interest in sustainability. I have done lots of research and I thought why we haven’t got one in our area so that’s why I applied to the council, and they have given me this start-up grant.”

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Derek was over the moon to receive the grant and said the council were impressed with his application.

He added: “With all the bad things going on in the world it is nice to have something to celebrate.”

The first session will take place in Odiham on May 28 and the Repair Cafe will then meet meet on the third Saturday of each month.

A location is still to be confirmed.

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