Every repair tells an unexpected story
Partnering with The Restart Project, Sustainable Thornton Heath’s monthly Repair Parties have become much more than places to fix broken electrical items—they’ve become spaces where people learn new skills, share knowledge and strengthen community connections while reducing waste.
Our Impact So Far
Together, our volunteers and visitors have achieved some incredible milestones:
- 41 Repair Parties hosted
- 1,005 volunteer hours donated
- 358 local residents supported
- 620 kg of electronic waste prevented
- 6,035 kg of CO₂ emissions avoided
These figures represent hundreds of items given a second life instead of ending up in landfill. From kettles and lamps to radios, laptops, vacuum cleaners and other household electricals, every successful repair helps conserve valuable resources, reduce carbon emissions and save residents money.
But our impact goes beyond the numbers.
Every Repair Party gives people the confidence to ask, “Can this be fixed?” rather than assuming it needs replacing. Visitors learn how their appliances work, discover simple maintenance techniques and leave inspired to make more sustainable choices. Even when an item can’t be repaired, valuable knowledge is shared and unnecessary waste is often avoided.
Growing the right to repair movement
The Restart Project continues to expand its community through initiatives such as the Fixing Factory—dedicated repair hubs where volunteers can develop practical repair skills, receive hands-on training and work alongside experienced fixers. These collaborative spaces help build confidence, encourage knowledge sharing and support a growing movement that believes repairing should become the first choice, not the last resort.
By training more volunteer fixers, the Fixing Factory is helping communities across London build the skills needed for a more circular economy, where products are kept in use for longer and valuable materials remain in circulation.
Become a Volunteer Fixer
Do you enjoy solving problems, tinkering with gadgets or simply want to learn something new?
You don’t need to be an electrician or engineer to get involved. Whether you’re an experienced repairer or a complete beginner with an interest in learning, we’d love to welcome you to our volunteer team.
By becoming a Volunteer Fixer with Sustainable Thornton Heath, you’ll:
- Help reduce electronic waste and carbon emissions.
- Save local residents money.
- Learn practical repair skills from experienced volunteers.
- Meet like-minded people passionate about sustainability.
- Support the growing Right to Repair movement.
Every repair makes a difference—and every volunteer helps make those repairs possible.
Join our Volunteer Fixer team today and help us build a more resilient, sustainable and repair-friendly community, one Repair Party at a time.
Stay Connected
Want to hear about upcoming Repair Parties, Eco Living Fest events, free workshops and local sustainability news? Sign up to the Sustainable Thornton Heath newsletter and be the first to hear about future events, volunteer opportunities, practical tips for living more sustainably and inspiring community stories.
Join us at the next Eco Living Fest in South Norwood
Our next Eco Living Fest is the perfect opportunity to discover how small actions can make a big difference. Alongside our popular Repair Party, you’ll find inspiring talks, hands-on workshops, children’s activities, local environmental organisations, food-growing advice, energy-saving information and delicious vegan refreshments.
