Rye Repair Cafe is a community project set up to encourage people to repair items rather than throwing them away.

The aim being to prolong the life of items, reduce landfill, save resources and promote care for what we have, and our home Planet Earth.

If you have anything that needs fixing, need advice or just want to find out what we’re about, please do come along to us at the Rye Community Centre.

We have a wonderful team of skilled volunteers who will have a look and see if your item can be fixed, and give you advice if not.

You are also encouraged to watch and learn how to mend things yourself.

Their range of skills covers clocks, sewing, electrical

items and mechanical items, bikes, computers, wooden items, jewellery, ornaments and plants.(link here to ‘How it works on the day’)

There is also someone who can sharpen tools using a whetstone sharpener and qualified PAT testers.

We serve tea, coffee and cakes and there are tables to sit at whilst you wait.

There is no charge for repairs and advice although we welcome donations to help cover the costs of running our events

About – History

The first Repair Cafe was started by Martine Postma in Amersterdam in 2009, and its great success led to the setting up of the Repair Cafe Foundation. They provide advice and help in setting up and maintaining repair cafes and also support campaigns for ‘right to repair ‘laws requiring manufacturers to make it easy to repair their products and to provide spare parts for at least 10 years.

We set up Rye Repair Cafe in May 2024, independently of Rye Community Centre or the International Repair Cafe organisation, and have built up a tremendous band of volunteers with repairing skills across the board and those who run a cafe full of delicious cakes!

In May 2026 we made the decision to join forces with the Rye Community Centre as there were benefits for both sides in doing this, and we are keen to link up with all organisations in the community who play a part in care of the community and environmental sustainability.

With this in mind we invite a different organisation or person to join us in the foyer of the Community Centre each month, and share with visitors about their work. For example we have had Rye Food Bank, Rye Community Garden,……

In August 2026 we finally decided to join the International Repair Cafe Organisation and thereby be put on their map.

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