About Us

The Fix it Group 23 is a not-for-profit voluntary community interest organisation that is fully insured, set up to support people during difficult times and to reduce the number of items going to landfill and expensive to run recycling facilities until it is absolutely necessary.

Our history

The idea of the group was realised by John Fitzgerald who with the support of close friend and colleague, Paul Worth, together founded the organisation in 2023. Both John and Paul are passionate about the positive impact Repair Cafés have on their local community for both the people and the environment. It had always been John’s dream to be a part of a Repair Café, and it is through The Fix it Group 23 this became a reality when we hosted our first Repair Café at the Mountsorrel Memorial Centre Venue in October 2023. The overwhelming success of this café highlighted the true potential of The Fix it Group 23 and in May 2024, The Fix it Group established their second Repair Café at the Bradgate Arms in Cropston.

Our location

The Fix it Group 23 manages Repair Cafés at two locations across the rural county of Leicestershire: one located in the Mountsorrel Memorial Centre Venue, a contemporary community and arts centre; and, the other at Bradgate Arms in Cropston, a 400-year-old building that features old beams, a warm atmosphere and rich history.

What we offer

The Fix it Group 23 offers free community events at both the MMC Venue and Bradgate Arms, focused on repairing things!

You can bring a broken household item to either our cafés where a volunteer from the Fix it Group 23 will assess the item and will either fix it free of charge or will help you make a plan for how and where to get the item fixed.

Whilst our volunteer repairers are busy at work you can enjoy what our host venues have to offer! The MMC Café serves delicious coffee, cakes, light bites and lunches and is a Doggie Friendly Café that has achieved a 5-star food hygiene rating. The Bradgate Arms, a Maston's Pub and Restaurant, are on hand to pull the perfect pint of cask ale, guest beers, traditional lagers and ciders and offer menus filled with the very best dishes for everyone to enjoy!

We can fix small electrical items like toasters, kettles, radios, vacuum cleaners and hi-fis. Most of these items can be fixed using replacement parts we carry or just some glue! We fix clothes, soft toys and anything else that either a needle or thread or a sewing machine can work on. We fix a variety of toys, clocks and small items of furniture. Sometimes we can’t fix things... and sometimes, if items look fragile, we won’t try - but we’re always happy to offer advice or try and help you find a professional repairer.

What we provide

In addition to offering successful Repair Café events at our host venues, The Fix it Group 23 shares our experience and resources to organisations across Leicestershire seeking to establish and run their own Repair Cafés. Our experienced management committee can share with organisations everything they will need to know including organisation structure, event management, health and safety, policy creation, financial considerations, volunteer recruitment and insurance requirements. By sharing our experience, The Fix it Group 23 hope to ease the path to success for others.

Organisation

We operate as a community interest organisation guided by a constitution which sets out how we work, acting in good faith and in a clear business-like manner, for the benefit of the whole community we represent. The Fix it Group 23 is overseen by group of trustees known as the 'management committee', supported by the invaluable service of our dedicated volunteers.

Our Aims

Repair Cafés help household items be used for longer rather than throwing them away. This reduces the volume of raw materials and energy needed to make new products. It cuts CO2 emissions by reusing instead of manufacturing new products. We also aim to promote a repairing culture by inviting each one of our visitors to sit with a volunteer repairer, our Repair Cafés show appreciation for the people who have practical knowledge and ensure these valuable skills are getting passed on. Repair Cafés promote social cohesion in the community by connecting local residents from all different backgrounds.