2023 wrap up
It’s been an exhilarating year - one of consolidation, endings, and experimentation…and we have exciting new developments for you in 2024 (see below for an early peek at our ‘Fixperience’ workshops!).
Before that we have a little bit of admin: so that we can keep sending you our Fixing Factory updates in 2024 and beyond we need you to resubscribe as we've changed our privacy policy.
Now that’s out of the way here’s what we’ve been up to...
Camden Fixing Factory
Our weekly Community Repair sessions are going strong and we’ve run two more Fix and Do events with Think and Do Camden and Veolia, plus we donated more than half a tonne of ‘rescued from recycling’ appliances to charity…but the main innovation has been introducing regular training to our Repair Clubs.
Reacting to the clear enthusiasm for structured training in domestic appliance repair in the the neglected ‘hair dryer to air fryer’ segment, the volunteers and staff at Queen’s Crescent Fixing Factory have developed our very own training modules - which we believe to be the first of their kind - we’ve now delivered 55 training modules…and will ramp this up in 2024.
Five Weeks of Fixing
Thanks to North london Community Fund we’ve run two brilliant rounds of Five Weeks of Fixing (with a third one coming in Spring 2024)
We bring an expert fixer and some broken gear to a community space, and local residents sign up for a five week guided tour of the workings and not-workings of small appliances. Everything that gets fixed (which turns out to be quite a lot of stuff) is donated to a local charity. The photo is of our first round at Templar House in Cricklewood - the table of fixed items went to Granville Community Kitchen.
You also may have spotted a very nice piece in the FT featuring Dermot and Harry in their recent special report.
Repair Club - Project Night
Our latest way to get involved with fixing is our new membership club aimed at those with a few technical skills under their belt, interested to do more.
For just £15 a month you can be part of this new social fixing club - you have access to the workshop every Thursday evening and can work on your own repair projects and skill development with a likeminded crowd. Run by fixers for fixers. More info here.
Fixperience Workshops - sneak peek
Fixperience Workshops (coming early 2024) will offer hands-on, guided sessions where participants learn the skills necessary to repair common electronic and electrical issues in bite-sized chunks.
From the full day ‘Pop Up Toaster Teardown and Tart Up’ to the 45 minute ‘Close Up with your Remote’ these workshops help demystify the workings (and failings) of our everyday items. Each features fundamental skills you can apply to many other areas of repair. Priced from £15 to £90 depending on workshop length.
And - yes - it would have been great to get this out as a Christmas present offer…we just ran out of 2023…
Brent Fixing Factory…
Although technically closed as a Fixing Factory since August we squeezed a few months extra out of the double-decker shipping container we’ve grown to love; by delivering two cohorts of our innovative Fixing Fast Track Laptop Repair and Maintenance course for 16 to 24 year olds.
Delivered by Mario - our brilliant volunteer-turned-workshop manager-turned trainer - these four-week hands-on courses are designed to drastically lower the barriers to technical repair work…and we’re running another one from 9th January…so spread the word!
Fixing Fast Track is supported by the Time After Time fund from Virgin Media O2.
Get involved
If you’re interested in volunteering, hosting Five Weeks of Fixing, joining Repair Club - Project Night, Fixperience workshops, or have any ideas you’d like to tell us about please contact us at hello@fixingfactory.org - we’d love to hear from you.
For more details on our volunteering opportunities click here.
Queen’s Crescent Fixing Factory is now closed until January 2nd,
Check our website for opening times.
If you’ve read this far then a quick reminder to resubscribe to continue to receive news and updates from us
Wishing you a wonderful festive season and a great start to the New Year!
The Fixing Factory Team
