Somerset’s Coastal Repair Cafés: Working Together to Repair, Share and Inspire 

In April, volunteers from Minehead, Porlock and West Quantocks Repair Cafés came together in Williton for a relaxed and practical coastal roundtable, supported by CAG Somerset. It was a chance to share experiences, celebrate successes, and explore how working more closely together could help these much-loved community projects reach even more people. 

Repair Cafés from Carhampton, Burnham and Highbridge, and Bridgwater are also active across the area, and while they weren’t able to attend on this occasion, their work forms an important part of this area’s growing repair café presence. 

Across the cafés represented, many shared priorities emerged. Repairers are already sharing skills across groups, volunteers are highly motivated, and there is a strong desire to welcome more diverse audiences, particularly younger people. Together, these cafés are keeping items in use for longer, reducing waste, saving residents money, and creating welcoming community spaces where skills and stories are shared. 

Jinny from CAG Somerset reflected after the session: 

“Repair Cafés show what’s possible when people come together with practical skills and a shared purpose. It’s inspiring to see how much impact these groups are having locally, and how keen they are to support one another to do even more.” 

Local highlights 

Porlock Repair Café has recently celebrated its fourth anniversary and continues to go from strength to strength. With a dedicated volunteer team, the café attracts residents and visitors from across the area and enjoys consistently busy sessions. 

Minehead Repair Café is also thriving. Having recently secured funding through the Tesco blue token scheme, the group will be able to invest in new equipment and grow their impact even further. 

West Quantocks Repair Café is newly launched and has already held its first few successful sessions. Meeting every two months in Watchet, the café welcomes people from surrounding towns and villages and is building momentum with each event. 

Growing impact through collaboration 

The roundtable highlighted strong enthusiasm for shared publicity, including a joint poster promoting nearby Repair Cafés, particularly in coastal and rural areas without an existing café. CAG Somerset will also support the network by drafting a shared press release, using newly developed monitoring and evaluation tools to clearly show the collective impact of these local groups. 

There was also interest in peer‑to‑peer learning, volunteer upskilling, and engaging schools through initiatives such as Duke of Edinburgh volunteering. Sharing stories about successful or unusual repairs was recognised as a simple but powerful way to inspire new visitors and volunteers. 

Looking ahead 

Repair Cafés along Somerset’s coast are already making a real difference — repairing hundreds of items, supporting local skills, and bringing people together. By strengthening collaboration, sharing resources and encouraging the next generation of volunteers, these cafés are well placed to grow their impact even further.  CAG Somerset looks forward to supporting the groups as they continue to repair and connect communities along the coast. 

Get in touch if you want to share your repair skills, support with social media or want to find out more. Email hello@cagsomerset.org.uk and we’ll put you in touch.