If you like something, it has sentimental value or just has life left in it, don’t throw it out – fix it!

If repairing something feels beyond you, then the Ōtaki Repair Café at the Memorial Hall on Sunday, March 21, could not only get your item fixed, but also give you some valuable skills to help you fix it again or tackle another repair job..

Everyone has hung on to broken toasters and tools, blunt knives, and broken but beloved jewellery that clutters their garage, cupboards or drawers. There’s always the hope that someday these things could be fixed and used again. Now they can be.

As it seems society moves further away from repairing – preferring to just buy a new item – there’s no better time to teach our kids that not everything that’s broken is beyond use.

 Fortunately the Repair Café has some talented volunteers who give up their time and who love tinkering. They can help with most things that need fixing. The café day also offers some training on how to do repairs along the way.

“It’s ‘small town, big heart – Ōtaki manaakitanga’ at its best,” says Hanna Wagner Nicholls of Energise Ōtaki, which organises the event. “Fixing something yourself feels good!”

As in the previous three repair cafés there will also be a special corner for the children.

“We want to show them that things can be fixed: a teddy with a missing ear, a toy car that doesn’t race any more, a hole in a pair of jeans that would look great with a special colourful patch,” Hanna says. “Hopefully they take this attitude with them as they grow up.”

Repair Café, 10-2pm Sunday, March 21, Memorial Hall, Ōtaki. See  Ōtaki Repair Café on Facebook for updates about what’s happening on the day.