WEBVTT NOTE Transcript 2024-03-28 from FLAC by https://elvery.net/prototypes/transcribe/ on my MacBook Air M1 on maximum quality setting. NOTE Body lightly edited. 00:00.000 --> 00:16.460 Our Repair Cafe update in five snippets, who we (TTK) are and what we do, about the Repair 00:16.460 --> 00:25.280 Cafe Kingston project, what funding has done for TTK/RCK, how the RCK is going and what 00:25.280 --> 00:31.880 we are planning, examples of people that RCK has helped, including some data. 00:31.880 --> 00:42.400 Who we are: TTK. Transition Town Kingston (TTK) is a community group helping to raise awareness 00:42.400 --> 00:49.640 of the climate crisis and encourage transition to a resilient and sustainable low carbon 00:49.640 --> 00:58.760 future. To that end, we foster and support a range of practical and inclusive environmental 00:58.760 --> 01:07.440 projects, we educate and campaign about the climate crisis, we encourage sustainable food 01:25.680 --> 01:29.480 workshops. 01:29.480 --> 01:39.200 About the project: RCK. Our Repair Cafe project, RCK, now entering its second year, aligns 01:39.200 --> 01:46.840 well with TTK's core aims and ethos. The community faces several challenges that we can help 01:46.840 --> 01:56.800 with. The energy, climate and cost of living crises, the need to reduce waste, lack of 01:56.800 --> 02:06.880 know how and social isolation. The project mobilises community capacities and resources, 02:06.880 --> 02:15.120 builds relationships, trust and collaboration. In our first year, we have fixed items for 02:15.120 --> 02:25.800 or advised diverse visitors on miscellaneous items, including clothing, a record player, 02:25.800 --> 02:34.520 hair dryers, toasters, rice cookers and favourite toys. The Repair Cafe ethos includes skill 02:34.520 --> 02:41.160 sharing and confidence building by watching and learning, contributing to users capabilities 02:41.160 --> 02:47.200 and resilience as well as saving them money and keeping repairable items out of the waste 02:47.200 --> 02:55.040 system. Our volunteers of all ages share their experience, expertise and skills and seem 02:55.040 --> 03:02.640 to enjoy the purposeful activity and engagement with visitors and each other. The social aspects 03:02.640 --> 03:10.960 of Repair Cafe, we offer refreshments, enhance the wellbeing of all participants. 03:10.960 --> 03:16.160 The Council's Resilience Fund has enabled us to secure our future, to improve safe working 03:16.160 --> 03:21.640 practices in our Repair Cafe project and to continue encouraging and empowering the community 03:21.640 --> 03:28.880 to reuse and repair. Funding is being spent on training, specialist insurance cover, further 03:40.000 --> 03:46.400 volunteers and visitors, substantial extension leads, reusable cups to cut down on our waste 03:46.400 --> 03:51.960 and a second hand settle to enable cashless donations towards the project's ongoing costs 03:51.960 --> 03:58.360 and self-sufficiency. And also to make contributions towards the overheads of our parent group, 03:58.360 --> 04:05.920 the TTK, ensuring its resilience too. How it is going and plans. We think that things 04:05.920 --> 04:11.160 are going pretty well. We have recruited a skilful and versatile team of about 30 volunteer 04:11.160 --> 04:16.120 fixers. Diverse members of the local community have brought in a wide range of items for 04:27.580 --> 04:32.060 We can't easily expand in the space we have in Kingston Library but we would happily advise 04:32.060 --> 04:37.260 and support others in the borough who wanted to set up something similar or complementary. 04:37.260 --> 04:42.000 We have already had several visitors from neighbouring groups or researchers or students 04:42.000 --> 04:47.040 observing how we do things. Sharing advice and information is a positive aspect of Repair 04:47.040 --> 04:53.220 Cafes generally. Plans include more flyers, posters to maintain visitor numbers, succession 04:53.220 --> 04:58.120 planning to maintain enough organisers and volunteers, helping the library by paying 04:58.120 --> 05:04.920 for more PowerPoints. Examples of help from RCK. On a typical repair 05:04.920 --> 05:12.600 morning, March 2024, we repaired sewing machine, pyjama, dog toy, rucksack backpack, two bags, 05:12.600 --> 05:20.040 blocked trimmer, two lamps, jacket cuffs, paddleboard bag, radio, advice given, dehydrator, 05:20.040 --> 05:27.520 computer, umbrella, laptop, not repaired, irreparable, clock, lamp toggle switch, two 05:27.520 --> 05:34.840 vacuum cleaners, food mixer, leather jacket. We typically see around 25 items each session 05:39.860 --> 05:47.600 repair or advice, not repaired. In part we (organisers, volunteers, visitors) are there 05:47.600 --> 05:52.760 for the social element and the company too. One of our volunteers. 05:52.760 --> 05:59.880 I enjoy the fixing, the community aspect, the social aspect. I'm learning from the others 05:59.880 --> 06:07.560 and I'm helping people fix their own things. With spoken contributions from Hilary, Marilyn, 06:07.560 --> 06:16.680 Gillian and Damon.