Volunteers from 12 of Scotland’s community repair initiatives showed off their skills, with demonstrations covering textile repair, IT, ceramics and wood refurbishment.

Over the last year, 17,202 people have visited local repair cafes and community repair services in Scotland, with over 13,000 items being fixed by skilled volunteers. By fixing items for customers, often for free or by donation, community repair projects help keep goods in use for longer, discouraging people from throwing items away and replacing them with new ones.

The Holyrood Repair Café acknowledged the contributions repair organisations provide for Scotland’s circular economy. The event also offered MSPs the opportunity to pledge to ‘Get Reuse Right’ as part of a Circular Communities Scotland campaign, which asks the Scottish Government to deliver on policies that support reuse, repair and sharing charities.

Circular Communities Scotland policy officer Becky Kenton-Lake said: “Charitable organisations in Scotland that reduce waste, like repair cafés, sharing libraries and other reuse organisations, support our communities, protect the environment and strengthen the economy. We’re asking the Scottish Government to Get Reuse Right, by implementing strong reuse policies that help these organisations continue to do what they do best.

“For lots of charities like these, the funding landscape, the cost of running and cost of living are serious issues. The policies we’re asking MSPs to support would help create an environment where these charities are centred and acknowledged for the contributions they make towards Scotland’s Net Zero ambitions.

“We were delighted to see a range of MSP’s from across different parties pledge to Get Reuse Right – we hope to see a lot more added to that list in months to come.”

MSP for Edinburgh Central, Lorna Slater, was in attendance and spoke at the Repair Café.

Ms Slater said: “Scotland’s community repair movement is a great example of the circular economy in action.

“We now have more than 63 projects supporting communities across almost every part of Scotland, with more than 2,000 repair events taking place last year alone. These hubs help people save money, share skills, build communities and keep items out of the waste stream.

“But this success is not guaranteed. Groups are facing rising costs, funding pressures and products designed to be thrown away rather than repaired. We need national action to support repair hubs and I encourage every MSP to support Circular Communities Scotland’s Get Reuse Right campaign.”

Twelve repair projects, including Repair Cafe Edinburgh, Transition University of St Andrews, Linlithgow Community Development Trust, Repair Cafe Glasgow, Dairsie Repair Café, Creating a Sustainable Gryffe, Irvine Share and Repair, ILM Highland, Remake Scotland, The Edinburgh Remakery, Dunkeld and Birnam Repair Café, and Strathspey Works’s Grantown Remakery were showcased at the event.

Circular economy projects manager, Lindsey Campbell of Linlithgow Community Development Trust, said: “Linlithgow Repair Shop is excited to show MSPs and Holyrood staff the amazing work done by volunteer repairers all over Scotland. We encourage our communities to be more circular, work together to reduce waste and save money during the cost of living crisis. This event is a wonderful opportunity to showcase the positive change made possible by empowering communities across the country.”

The Scottish Housing News Charity Spotlight feature highlights the vital work of charities across Scotland each Friday. To include your local charity, whether housing-related or not, send your story and images to us at newsdesk@scottishnews.com.