Canton Repair Café

Canton Repair Café is back at Chapter on Saturday 17 October, from 11am to 1pm. It's run by Repair Café Wales, a group of volunteers who gather to fix people's broken or damaged household items for free. The whole thing is built on a few simple ideas: keeping things out of landfill, bringing neighbours together, and saving people a bit of money.

You bring in whatever needs mending, and while you wait, there's tea, coffee and a chat with the people around you. It's not just about getting your things back in working order, either — the sessions are set up so you can watch and learn how to do the repairs yourself. The volunteers will have a go at most things that come through the door, and the usual jobs cover a fair spread: basic bicycle maintenance, electrical appliance repair, computing assistance, sewing, ornament repair and woodworking. There is one firm exception, though — they won't touch microwaves, which they refuse as too dangerous.

There's no need to book, so you can just turn up with whatever's playing up. Donations are welcome, and they go towards supporting Chapter's artistic programme. If you miss this one, it's a regular fixture: the café runs on the third Saturday of every month, with the next session on 21 November. You'll find it at Chapter Arts Centre, Market Road, Canton, CF5 1QE, from 11am to 1pm.