Repair Cafe Wales opens & supports repair cafés in Wales and beyond
We are a registered charity dedicated to creating a culture of repair and reuse, to encourage communities that want to work towards a more Circular Economy. Directly addressing the ever-growing emergency of unsustainable growth in landfill and waste.
Our Vision
‘A society empowered to work together to reduce waste, share skills, and strengthen our communities’
History of Repair Cafe Wales
Frustrated with the unsustainable growth of landfill and waste, Repair Cafe Wales was founded by Joe O’Mahoney and Cerys Jones in April 2017 to start and support repair cafés in Wales.
The international repair café movement was initiated by Martine Postma. Since 2007, she has been striving for sustainability at a local level in many ways. Martine organised the very first repair café in Amsterdam in 2009. It was a great success.
This prompted Martine to start the Repair Café Foundation. Since 2011, this non-profit organisation has provided professional support to local groups in the Netherlands and other countries wishing to start their own repair café. There are now over 1,500 repair cafés worldwide.
How a Repair Cafe Works
Repair cafe events are free pop ups that reduce waste, teach skills and build community resilience. Run by volunteers who will try to fix anything that is brought to them (though with specialist items, do contact your local repair café.
Started by committed members of the public with our support, and run by the local community. We can provide advice and support on everything from organisation, processes, insurance, fundraising, volunteer recruitment and social media.
At each repair cafe event, somewhere between 20 and 50 members of the public bring their damaged or broken household items for repair/advice. Typical items include electrical goods, technology, ornaments, clothes, bicycles for basic maintenance & guidance, jewellery and more! The repair café volunteers then attempt to repair the items. The visitors are encouraged to join in and learn how their item is being fixed so that they can attempt similar repair in the future.
We are a registered charity with a Board of Trustees.
How we’re funded
We are also grateful to be supported by a number of other funders including Welsh Government’s Landfill Disposal Tax Community Scheme, administered by Wales Council for Voluntary Action; People’s Postcode Lottery; Community Foundation Wales, Wales Church Fund; Welsh Council for Voluntary Action Volunteering grant.
Mission and impact
Committed to facilitating the opening of repair cafés in every town, village, city and suburb in Wales, we are focusing our energies on nurturing a cleaner, more sustainable world whilst our communities are inclusive and safe environments for people of all ages and backgrounds to share knowledge, skills, and to generally connect.
Our communities repair toasters, rebuild coffee tables and repurpose jeans or dresses, we restore confidence, we reskill those who want to learn, and we remind ourselves of the importance of communication, cooperation and community spirit.
We are working for our communities to influence standards for goods and government policy, collecting data from our community hubs, and helping to inform policy decisions that promote a greener, more sustainable world.
Our Values
Waste Reduction
Repair cafes help household items be used for longer rather than throwing them away. This reduces the volume of raw materials and energy needed to make new products. It cuts CO2 emissions by reusing instead of manufacturing new products.
Sharing Skills
By promoting a repairing culture and inviting each one of our visitors to sit with a volunteer repairer, repair cafes show appreciation for the people who have practical knowledge and ensure these valuable skills are getting passed on.
Community Connection
Repair cafes promote social cohesion in the community by connecting local residents from very different backgrounds and with different motives with each other through an inspiring and low-key event.
Repair Cafe Wales Core Team
The core working team for Repair Cafe Wales.
Phoebe
Director
Phoebe Brown
Ella
Head of Network
Ella
Ella was a co-founder of Benthyg Cymru, Wales’ Library of Things network and played an instrumental role in kickstarting borrowing around Wales. During her tenure as Director the network recorded 20,000 borrows, saving communities across Wales an estimated £500k and 230,000 kg in carbon emissions.
In her spare time, Ella tries to jog and do yoga to stay healthy and generally loves being back in beautiful Wales after a 20-year hiatus in London.
Vici
Project Coordinator
Vici
She also previously worked with Benthyg Cymru supporting organisations to develop Libraries of Things.
Vici has successfully delivered a broad range of projects and events and has a background in television production including numerous documentaries, children, and factual programmes working with most terrestrial and international broadcasters.
She has enjoyed volunteering and with charities and non-profits for over 20 years. She is passionate about helping young people, homelessness and currently volunteers at a community café and hub. Her hobbies include baking and teaching her daughter to bake. Her confidence has improved about making repairs since working for Repair Café Wales and most recently she has developed a knack for making plumbing repairs at home.
Emily
Social Media & Communications Officer
Emily
Emily lives in West Wales and is passionate about supporting communities to set up and grow their own local repair cafés. She is especially keen to help make Repair Café Wales a household name, using the skills she developed working in television on programmes such as The Great British Bake Off and Formula One.
She has volunteered across the world, from working at a turtle sanctuary in Sri Lanka, to supporting the IPC Paralympic Games in Swansea, Emily brings this wealth of experience to her role. Emily is committed to showing how repair can bring people together, save money, and create positive change for both communities and the environment.
In her spare time, Emily enjoys playing rugby and training for triathlons, always ready for the next challenge both in sport and in life
Charlotte
Bookkeeper
Charlotte
Jessica
Income Generation & Partnerships Manager
Jessica
Jess has worked in marketing and fundraising for the past 20 years and she loves both! Having raised over £46 million to date, her specialism is corporate partnerships and she has worked with Marks & Spencers, Legal & General and Specsavers, to name a few a partners. Jess enjoys working for Repair Cafe Wales because it’s fantastic to see quite a small charity have such a big impact.
If you have a fundraising idea please email Jess, she’s always keen: jessica@repaircafewales.org
Repair Cafe Wales Board
We have a very far ranging board, each who bring their own expertise and experience to help grow Repair Cafe Wales.
Joe O’Mahoney
Co-Founder & Chair
Joe O’Mahoney
Joe is a co-founder and Chair of Repair Cafe Wales. For the most part, this involves managing the strategy of RCW, talking at external events, and applying for funding.
In his day job, Joe is a Professor of Management at Cardiff University. He has received four prizes for teaching excellence, published three books with Oxford University Press, and led several research projects. Joe founded two successful private companies, StayMobile Technology and Consulting Mastered and prior to joining academia, Joe was Head of Digital Products at Three, and a senior management consultant with Xansa. Joe has featured as an industry expert on BBC Radio Wales, Radio 2 and Radio 4, and appeared on BBC 2’s Dragon’s Den.
More information can be found about Joe at www.joeomahoney.com
John McCrory
Trustee
John McCrory
John is the External Events Coordinator and Spokesperson for Repair Cafe Wales. This involves organising one-off events, speaking at external events and managing media requests. Over the past year John has worked with partners such as Green City, Cardiff Science Festival, British Heart Foundation, Techniquest, and Friends of the Earth Cymru on collaborative events.
In his day job, John is a Research Associate at Cardiff University School of Engineering. Having completed a PhD, he now conducts research into the use of Structural Health Monitoring as an enabling technology for a sustainable future. He is also a STEM Ambassador and speaks at events, delivers workshops and co-organises events such as Soapbox Science, which aims to combat the underrepresentation of women in STEM. Not forgetting the importance of art, John is also a musician, and you can often find him at one of the local open mic nights in Cardiff.
Steve Iwanski
Trustee
Steve Iwanski
Steve joined Repair Cafe Wales in September 2020 as Volunteer Finance Ambassador to create financial reporting for the organisation, before joining the Board of Directors in November 2022 to provide additional strategic financial guidance.
A qualified accountant for 12 years, Steve is currently working within the Recycling Division at DS Smith, previously gaining varied experience from working within several different industries in senior accounting roles.
Steve has a keen interest in exploring and deploying innovative sustainability solutions to enhance the circular economy, and so is excited to be a part of Repair Café Wales through its current and future growth.
Ceri Davies
Trustee
Ceri Davies
Ceri has a passion for the environment at a local, national, and global level and is interested in all aspects of what we can do to limit our impact on the planet and make the way we live more sustainable.
He has applied these values to work with central government delivering projects such as the Single Use Carrier Bag Charge and the Coastal Communities Fund. His work in the third sector includes the Canal and River Trust and in the social enterprise sector with Indycube.
Ceri has extensive charity board experience – Keep Wales Tidy, the Sherman Theatre and as a Director with Cardiff Community Energy.
Angela Spiteri
Trustee
Angela Spiteri
Angela brings over 15 years’ experience leading creative, innovative and impactful marketing and communications strategies that drive positive change in the sustainability sector.
As Senior Campaign Manager at climate action NGO, WRAP, Angela leads high-profile behaviour change campaigns that empower people across Wales to waste less and recycle more, supporting the nation’s ambition to be a global leader in recycling.
Previously, she held a senior marketing role at Sustrans Cymru, where she developed and delivered Wales’ active travel marketing strategy. Her work promoted a new network of routes across the South Wales Valleys through creative campaigns, events and activities that inspired people to walk and cycle for commuting, school, and leisure.
Angela is also a former board member of furniture reuse charity Too Good to Waste, where she advised on marketing strategy and brand development. Passionate about environmental action, she remains committed to helping communities make more sustainable choices and building a greener future.
Adam Woodall
Trustee
Adam
Adam brings over 24 years’ experience leading IT, digital, and network management operations across education, the arts, healthcare, and major international events. He is currently Head of IT at Chapter Arts Centre in Cardiff, where he manages digital infrastructure and supports one of Wales’ most vibrant creative hubs.
Adam is also deeply rooted in community life. He has served on the board of fizzPOP Makerspace in Birmingham, been a community councillor in Radyr & Morganstown, and helped shape local initiatives through hands-on volunteering. From running 3D printing meetups to supporting artists, young people, and grassroots projects with digital skills, he enjoys creating spaces where people can share knowledge and work together.
As a trustee of Repair Café Wales, Adam is committed to helping the organisation grow so it can empower people to repair more, waste less, and build stronger, more connected communities across Wales.
Partners
We work closely with the organisations below in a number of ways including co-hosting events, fixing / donating / borrowing items, mentoring, managing time credit schemes, analysing repair data, upskilling individuals, hosting repair cafés, providing volunteering opportunities and working together to promote the ‘make do and mend’ culture.
