Repair Café Glasgow is a voluntary organisation established in 2017. We host free monthly community repair events where anyone can bring broken household items and learn how to repair them alongside our volunteers. Our monthly events also feature workshops in textile repair, tool usage, electronics, woodworking, and more. Our goal is to keep repair skills alive and our activities allow participants to choose repair and reuse rather than buying new.
A problem we have discovered in our community is that prams, strollers, and buggies are going to landfill whilst families in need are going without. Since January 2019, we have been cleaning & repairing prams that have either been abandoned or that have been donated to us. So far, we have distributed over 50 prams to families through wonderful community groups, Refuweegee, and Kinning Park Complex.
In July, we asked people through our social media to donate their preloved prams to us with the hopes that we could save them from landfill. Since then we have collected over 300 prams and donation requests come in daily. Evidently, there is a desire to keep these prams alive but we are now faced with a struggle to find resources to repair and rehome all these prams.
Repairing and rehoming prams is a simple solution to a big problem but we need your help.
Currently, there are no public statistics on how many prams are going to waste but we do know that 40 million prams were sold globally in 2015 and that in the same year in the Greater Glasgow area almost 11,000 babies were born. We can extrapolate from that and understand that we are fulfilling a need to stop prams from going to landfill, and instead, getting them to families who desperately need them. Refuweegee reports that they have a long waiting list with hundreds of families. So imagine how big this need is when we combine all organisations?
Continuing and expanding the pram project will benefit a diverse range of families in need as well as the environment. With your help, our plan is to grow our network of community organisations that support a range of people in need dealing with complex situations such as living in poverty. Our hope is the project will develop as a social enterprise and with your help become sustainable. So far through collecting the prams, 99% of the people who donated were happy to let us sell the prams to support this project.
This project needs some help to grow. With our current funding, we only have the capacity to fix around 10 prams per month. At this rate, it would take us about 2 years to assess, repair and distribute our current stock of prams. So far, it has been hard for us to get extra financial support which is why we have turned to Crowdfunder. Our goal of 6 months of funding will springboard us into sustainability and a great legacy. Here is what your contribution will cover for a half a year:
£2,700 in rent for our current workspace
£2,200 .2 FTE administrator (1 day/week)
£4,200 .4 FTE pram technician (2 days/week)
£725 in volunteer costs
£1,000 consumables (tools and parts for repairs)
£500 insurance
£500 marketing
£175 for Revolve standard certification (This ensures that all the prams we donate are in good condition, demonstrating our commitment to quality.)
If we surpass our goal, we would use the additional amount of £3,500 for a biofuel-powered 'Prambulance' (9 passenger multipurpose van) for collection and delivery of prams including fuel and all associated vehicle costs. We have extensive experience with biofuel-powered vehicles and are committed to protecting the environment in our transport activities.
TOTAL: £12,000 (£15,500)
We have lots of great options for rewards! We really appreciate all your donations, so we have gone the extra mile to create rewards both big and small for all our supporters. Grab yourself a couple of handmade repair badges, a poster, some hand-made socks or jewellery, a buggy, or cleanup for your beloved kiddie mover! It's all in the 'Rewards' section of this page. Here are some examples of our rewards:
Image of Sewing Workshops
Image of IFixiit Kit
Image of Embroidery from Deirdre Nelson
Image of Jewellery from KPCouture
Image of Repurposed Plastic Tray from Stilllife
We have had so many enthusiastic and generous supporters. We share but a few of their comments with you here:
"Before receiving this pram, all I had was a sling and a car seat to get my two-week-old baby around Glasgow. I'm parading around the room now and can't stop smiling!" Anonymous, Refuweegee pram recipient
"I'm just glad my Silver Cross will get a new home!" Fiona, pram donor
"This pram is in great condition, and we got a lot of use out of it. We just want it to go to a good home rather than sitting in ours taking up space." Paula, pram donor
"We don’t need our travel system anymore and although we got good use from the pram it will be nice to know that another family can benefit. Keep up the good work!" Claire, pram donor
"I have seen a post on Facebook regarding prams that you repair and pass on to Refuweegee and other charities. It sounds like a fabulous idea and exactly what I have been looking for to do with our prams." N.J., pram donor
"I’m happy with whatever you guys do with it as long as it goes to someone who can use it." Larah, pram donor
"I have a beautiful silver cross pearl limited addition which I paid a fortune for 8 years ago and used for my 2 boys. I've tried to sell it online...I want it to go to someone who will look after it and love it the way I have (I know it’s a pram) lol" N.M., pram donor.