The cost of living crisis has made people make the most of what they already have, or upcycle and recycle pre-owned items.

Throwaway culture has been the norm since World War Two - but that tide seems to be turning, at least in the short term, as people avoid unnecessary purchases.

And if you're looking to get in on that action, Wells Repair Cafe can help you out.

Repair cafes are free meeting places where people come together to fix things. Unofficial community repair groups have likely been around for a long time, but the model as we now know Martine Postma created it.

Postma organised the first repair cafe in Amsterdam in October 2009, a resounding success. She then founded the Repair Cafe Foundation in 2011, a non-profit providing professional support to local groups wanting to start repair cafes. There are now over 2000 repair cafes in over 35 countries around the world.

In a repair cafe you can usually find tools and materials needed to fix items such as electrics, clothes, bikes, furniture, and more. You can also find expert volunteers, with repair skills in different areas, to help you. Most repair cafes also teach essential mending skills such as sewing buttons, fixing zips, and wiring plugs, helping people learn something by watching and working with volunteers.

Repair cafes focus on making things last, saving people money and helping the environment by reducing consumption, manufacturing, and using raw materials.

The Wells Repair Cafe will be taking place on the following Saturdays this year, between 10am and 12.30pm at St Thomas' Church Hall, St Thomas Street.

• 7th January
• 4th March
• 6th May
• 1st July
• 2nd September
• 4th November