Do you have an item you love that needs a bit of TLC to be put back into use? Look no further – you can have your clothes, textiles and small electrical items such as toasters or kettles repaired for free in Acton this weekend.

The workshop, organised by Ealing Council in partnership with Ealing Repair Café and The Restart Party, will be held from 12:30pm to 3:30pm on Saturday 8 February at St Mary’s Church, The Mount, High Street, Acton.

Volunteers from Ealing Repair Café will be on hand so bring along your clothes and textiles for advice and guidance from sewing tutors, as well as being able to use their equipment to mend your favourite clothes. You can also take part in helping the volunteers make draught excluders and drawstring bags from waste textiles.

If you’re wanting to bring along a small electrical item for repair, you’ll need to pre-book a slot with The Restart Project. If there are no slots available, you can join the waitlist in the case of a cancellation. You can also come along as a walk-in as some repairs can be quicker than others and fixers will be trying to help in between booked appointments but there is no guarantee that they will be able to help.

Councillor Paul Driscoll, the council’s cabinet member for climate action, said: “Sometimes all it takes is a simple repair to keep the items we love in use longer and reduce our output of waste.

“By coming along to this event, you can gain valuable advice, learn new skills and could even return home without holes in your favourite clothes.”

Make use of our Library of Things

You may have a list of repair jobs around the house that require tools you don’t have, so have you thought about trying out the borough’s Library of Things? There are more than 30 items available to borrow from the library including electric drills, carpet washers, a tent, and an ice cream maker.

By allowing users to rent items instead of buying them, it reduces the risk of those items being wasted and never used again.

The Library of Things is part of the council’s wider circular economy programme where materials and products are reused in a sustainable or environmentally friendly way, rather than being wasted.