Events and News
Events - Rural Groups
Brief events summary below - more details available from- Blackdown Hills Repair Café webpage
Blackdown Hills Repair Café was launched in March 2018. Held on the fourth Saturday of every other month in Hemyock, the repair café has become a very popular and much-enjoyed event. It draws 80-100 people each time, with around 120 items being repaired or sharpened at each event.
We repair electrical items, bicycles, clocks, watches, furniture, garden tools, computers, musical instruments, sewing machines, textiles and much more, and offer a knife and tool sharpening service. We have a repair success rate of over 74%!
Not only can members of the public get items repaired instead of throwing them away, but the repair café also provides the community with a place where they can meet and enjoy a chat together. While they wait for their repair to take place, they can enjoy a cup of tea and a slice of homemade cake, or even a bacon butty!
The Repair Café has seen a steady increase in participation and items brought for repair, offering a practical solution to reduce waste and extend the lifespan of products. To date, the Blackdown Hills Repair Café has received 4160 items and successfully repaired 3097 of them. This effort has led to significant environmental benefits, including the prevention of 3.43 tonnes of waste and the saving of 6.47 tonnes of CO2 emissions in the 2023/24 period alone!
Last year, we took part in Recycle Devons BIG FIX. 83 Repair Cafés and 800 volunteers took part, mending 2,761 items and saving 48 tonnes of CO2. Many cakes and biscuits were served alongside many more cups of tea and coffee!
We owe our success to all our volunteers who help organise the repair café, carry out the repairs, help with administration and publicity and prepare the refreshments. We are very grateful for their support. People from over 20 locations across the Blackdown Hills, from Chard to Exeter volunteer. The repairers’ dedication extends beyond the local area, as they participate in other Repair Cafés in nearby towns and villages.
Brief Events detail -full info available on Sustainable Bradninch Facebook page
About us
Our group was set up to run events and projects that will make our lovely town of Bradninch more sustainable, reduce waste, increase biodiversity and become an even better community. Our members are active community members who want to make a difference to the lives of people in Bradninch.
What we do
We run a Repair Café every two months in the Guildhall, alongside a coffee morning and our Community Fridge (Bradninch Community Food Shed) is open from 10-6 every day in the Baptist Church foyer. We also organise regular events that help drive sustainable behaviours like swapping clothes and selling second-hand items. Through the winter months we have regular talks about interesting topics.
Recent projects
In 2023 we had our first Nature Photography Competition, to be repeated in 2024, culminating in the shortlisted photos being displayed at the Annual Bradninch Town Fair, to choose a “People’s Choice” Award.
This year we have moved into more growing and nature-based activities. We started a regular Seed Swap and a Community Allotment, where food will be grown for the Food Shed. We are assisting on several wilding projects around the town. Our Tree Nursery is again full of trees to be planted out this winter.
Future plans
We hope to run another Bradninch Jumble Trail, along with a Gin Swish event this Autumn. We will repeat our Nature Photography Competition this year. We are starting to have conversations about a Bradninch Library of Things, which would be a fantastic addition to our town.
How can I help
Talk to us if you’re in or near Bradninch and you’d like to help. We have a team of volunteers who clean our shed and collect food from local supermarkets, so there are always things you can do to help. Let us know if you have a skill you’d like to share, can repair broken items or are an expert in an aspect of sustainability and would like to speak at a local event.
Upcoming Events
19th Feb 7.30pm: Film Water Is Love @ Guildhall Bradninch. Free Entry Donations Welcomed.
Brief events summary below - more details available from-Silverton Community Larder Facebook page
The Silverton Community Larder was started initially by some very dedicated individuals to support a real crisis in Silverton village during the COVID-19 pandemic. They provided food from their own pocket and put it outside their home. Word got out and more villagers donated items, delivered food parcels to people who couldn’t get out and made soup for carers and the elderly.
As other community-minded people became involved a committee was established and the decision was made to focus on food waste as this would naturally open the larder to everyone and de-stigmatise a very real situation – while at the same time tackling horrendous food waste.
Silverton Community Larder officially opened its (shed) doors in May 2021 and is open 24/7.
It’s a community resource aimed at providing access to surplus food, reducing food waste from landfill, reducing food insecurity and improving the wellbeing of residents in the local community.
The food is donated by a growing number of supermarkets as well as the community – including excess produce from fruit trees and over-flowing veg patches.
Volunteers help with daily food/fridge checks and cleaning as well as food collecting, marketing and data collection. In May and June alone, over 1400 items were logged as left in the shed and in a short space of time, it has become a much loved and appreciated community space.
The Larder is open to all. Volunteers to help run the fridge are also very welcome! Contact us via our Facebook page.
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The group also runs the Uff Comm Fridge community fridge. Opening hours: 9.30am to 11.00am Monday to Friday. Contact: hello@uffcommfridge.org.uk for more information. |
Location: Uffculme Community Fridge container, Grounds of Uffculme Branch Surgery, Commercial Road. | |
| 3rd Saturday of the month |
Repair Cafes (10am to 12.30pm). Even if you haven't got anything for repair, do drop in for a hot drink and piece of cake - and a chat. Contact uffculmegreenteam@outlook.com for more details. |
@ Square Corner |
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Every Sunday from 10am |
Ponderers and Wildflower Warriors meet each Sunday morning from 10am at the village pond behind the village hall garden room- developing and maintaining the surrounds of the village pond as a wildlife area and keeping wildflowers tidier along the main road to avoid them being sprayed with herbicide. |
@ Green behind the Village Hall |
