FIX-IT wizards were busy at the North Tawton Repair Café on Saturday as part of the nationwide Big Fix 2020 encouraging people to take broken household objects along to be made good as new.

The event saw more than 100 repair cafés across the UK being held simultaneously repairing household items that would otherwise be thrown away.

The goal was to fix as many broken, worn and once-loved possessions in a single morning as possible — with the North Tawton event at the community centre in Barton Street seeing 12 successful repairs.

Coordinator Ruth Testa said: ‘Climate concerns are causing more people to look at the way they live and ask what can I do to help the environment?

‘Repair cafés are wonderful places — they teach people to see their possessions in a new light and appreciate their value.

‘This is the fourth event that we have held in North Tawton and we have already repaired 40 items — saving their owners money in terms of replacement costs but also preventing items going to landfill.’

She added that the repairs had so far saved approximately £2,355 in replacement costs and over 115kg of waste being thrown away. The North Tawton event takes place monthly, with the next being held in North Tawton on Saturday, March 14.

Repair cafés are growing in popularity as concern about the amount society is throwing away grows. They rely on the skills of volunteeers, who give their time each month for the satisfaction of giving others the chance to gain new life out of household objects which they thought had had their day.

More people than ever are choosing repair and reuse over discard and buy more, and everything from clothing, electrical items to furniture and toys can be repaired for a small donation.

These are often items which people may not be able to afford to get fixed or not sure how to do it themselves and are brought back to life. Repair cafes are also social, offering a chance to have a chat over a cup of tea and slice of cake.