York Explore Library. Photo: Tilman2007, CC BY-SA 4.0.
There’s a lovely opportunity coming up in York for anyone who has looked at a broken household item and wondered whether it really needs replacing. On Saturday 24 October 2026, from 11 am to 3 pm, York’s repair cafés are coming together at York Explore Library for a celebration of mending and shared skills.
The York Environment Festival listing describes a chance to meet volunteer repairers, see what they do and learn some mending techniques. Workshops will run alongside the repair café. It is open to all ages, with no booking needed.
Practical knowledge, freely shared
The wider Repair Café movement brings people with broken belongings together with volunteers who know how to repair them. Depending on the skills available, that can include clothes, furniture, bicycles or household appliances. Visitors learn alongside the person helping, rather than simply handing something over.
It is a straightforward idea with several useful consequences: keeping things in use, passing on knowledge and giving someone a chance to tackle a job they might otherwise have given up on. The movement also recognises the place of professional repair services, with volunteers sometimes directing people towards them.
What appeals to me is the generosity involved in sharing a skill. Something that has become second nature to one person can be completely unfamiliar to another. Taking the time to explain it patiently is a very practical way of being helpful.
Making room for not knowing
In my introduction to Compassion Focussed Therapy, I discuss the importance of feeling safe enough to learn, and allowing change to happen at a manageable pace. That attention to how we treat people matters outside therapy too.
Most of us have things we feel we ought to know already. Asking for help can feel exposing, particularly if we expect impatience or criticism. A useful response might be as simple as asking what someone has tried, explaining one step clearly, and giving them time to have a go.
If you are the person learning, you don’t need to apologise for not knowing. You can ask someone to slow down or show you again. And if you are sharing a skill, it is worth checking whether the other person wants a demonstration or would prefer to try it with you alongside them.
Visiting the York event
The celebration is at York Explore Library, Library Square, York, YO1 7DS. Check the organiser’s listing before travelling, particularly if you want advice about a specific item; a showcase is not a guarantee that every repair can be undertaken.
It’s good to see local volunteers’ knowledge being recognised and shared. If mending is something you have been curious about, this could be a useful place to begin.
Dr Richard Jenkinson, Clinical Psychologist, Verdure Psychology