Community groups and retailers across Greater Manchester have signed up to take part in this year’s Repair Week 2025 to rally residents around a ‘repair revolution’.
During Repair Week residents have the opportunity to attend workshops to get their various items repaired and to learn valuable repair skills from community groups local to them.
Research commissioned by Recycle for Greater Manchester (R4GM) found that kettles, shoes and clothing were the most common items thrown away without checking if repairs could be made to them instead.
It also found that nearly 60% of residents were worried about the cost of replacing broken items in the coming year and that over 70% of residents surveyed would like to be able to repair more themselves, but don’t know how.
Repair Week empower or to have these items fixed by experts.
Tom Ross, GMCA’s lead for the Green City-Region and Waste and Recycling, said: “Repair Week and all of the superb community groups that take part in it do so much good work in inspiring our residents to waste less and repair more. There are so many great options for repairing items in communities across the city-region and it’s great to see Repair Week back for another year to shine a spotlight on this.
“Creating a strong network of repair communities across Greater Manchester will ensure that every resident has the chance to repair their household items locally and provide so many of the other benefits that comes with being involved in your local community.”
Some of the community events residents can attend include:
- Free bike diagnosis and tips to get your bike on the road or trails safely at the Decathalon in Stockport (George’s Road) and Bolton (Middlebrook) – all week
- Manchester’s Library of Things (Levenshulme Old Library, M19 3QE) is launching a new session on Wednesdays to give people more opportunities for to borrow the tools and equipment they need, exactly when you need them, to tackle more repairs at home for an affordable price. On the Wednesday of Repair Week (March 5) five annual memberships are being given away by the Library of Things to people who attend for the first time or those who reserve an item online any time during Repair Week.
- A number of local repair cafes where residents can meet people in their local community with the skills to help them repair their household goods. This includes Bramhall (Bramhall Methodist Church) and Heatons (Community Hall behind St Paul’s Church, Stockport)
R4GM research did find that many residents had done common household repairs to prevent items going to waste, with Repair Week giving people the opportunity to expand on these skills to save even more items.
Nearly 40% said they had repaired a plug in the past year, with more than half (52%) saying they had removed a stain from clothing or other textiles. More than 37% said they had replaced a button on clothing themselves too.
Electrical items, bicycles and bathroom fixtures/fittings were the most common items that residents had repaired by a professional within the last year. Residents can learn how to repair these items with community groups throughout Repair Week, creating local repair networks across the city-region.
As well as workshops and other repair sessions, there are a number of free videos on the Recycle for Greater Manchester website offering practical guidance for repairing many household items.
A list of the activities and events taking place, including at the Renew Hub, can be found here.
