A man who turned his life around with his self-taught passion for furniture restoration is to speak at a community event in Swanage, Dorset, in the hope of inspiring others to repair and reuse everyday goods.
The environmental group Sustainable Swanage has invited former addict and Big Issue seller Steve Wyatt from the Poole business Restored Retro to come along to its Repair and Reuse meeting on Tuesday 17th September 2024 at 7.30 pm at The Mowlem’s Studio.
A prototype repair cafe in Swanage was limited to clothes and textiles
Tap into the upcycling vibe
The event is aimed at encouraging people to save money, reduce landfill, share skills and make friends, as Swanage sets out to tap into the upcycling vibe that is already being fostered through its antique and vintage shops.
While a Purbeck Repair Cafe ran sporadically in 2022 and 2023, it only ever offered textile repairs and a desire to develop it across a much broader range of goods was put on hold due to volunteer numbers.
But now, with hopes high of a guaranteed meeting space in Swanage town centre, and with the backing of Swanage and Purbeck Development Trust, plans for a fully fledged repair cafe in Purbeck are higher than ever before.
Steve Wyatt’s business Restored Retro in Poole restores classic mid 20th Century furniture
“Turning battered and beaten pieces of furniture into something beautiful”
Speaking to Swanage.News, Steve Wyatt said:
“I was really happy to be invited along to talk at this event. I will be putting my spin on the idea of reuse and repurpose, and also talking about what my journey has taught me along the way, and the amazing things that have happened.
“In a final drug rehabilitation programme in 2014, I decided to start a social enterprise restoring furniture with a friend, found a purpose in life and finally got clean with the help and support of my family.
“With the skills that I’d learned, I taught myself to restore mid-century furniture. My salvation came in turning battered and beaten pieces of furniture into something beautiful.
“I really worked hard and found that it was therapeutic – it was all about taking that negative behaviour and turning it into something positive.”
Swanage Emporium, already leading the way in reusing and repurposing
A chance to pass on repair skills
The meeting at The Mowlem will also hear from fixers at Wimborne’s Repair Cafe, who successfully give a new lease of life to small electrical items, toys, ceramics, jewellery, small furniture and bicycles as well as textiles.
They set up a space to give old items a new lease of life and found that it had also created a place for people to come together for a social chat and a chance to pass on repair skills which are no longer being passed down from parents to children.
Also coming along to the event will be The Veterans Forge, Durlston Shed, Greengage Community Garden and Swanage Community Pantry, who have all been invited to participate and share their insights.
The Swanage event will hear from the Wimborne Repair Cafe which also mends and upcycles electricals
“There’s far more to repair and reuse”
The new chair of Sustainable Swanage Jan Owens hopes the event will trigger a repair revolution in Purbeck.
Jan Owens said:
“Prepare to be inspired – there’s far more to repair and reuse than you might have thought, whether it’s saving money, making money, fostering community spirit, reducing waste or taking up a new, quirky hobby!
“While there will be no pressure on anyone who attends, we do hope that the individuals and organisations we bring together might be in a position to help coordinate a group in a way that suits them.
“Promoting, encouraging and engaging residents and visitors through our projects and events can only be a good thing, and the more awareness there is, the more possibilities arise!
“Giving Swanage residents the chance to hear from individuals and groups that they may not know much about could end up inspiring groups, projects and ideas.”
Greengage Community Garden is among other groups taking part in the evening
“New opportunities for our community”
Jan added:
“We hope that Swanage can gain positive recognition and reputation for its repair and reuse mentality, to give Purbeck an appreciation of its vibe for vintage, retro and upcycling.
“If it helps our antique shops, charity shops and repair businesses to thrive, it will also create new opportunities for our community.
“We have a great lineup of speakers for our Repair and Reuse community event, and have allowed plenty of time for questions and for people to share ideas.
“We hope that the stories we can promote will inspire our audience to repair, reuse or restore those thingamabobs they’ve been meaning to for ages!”
The Repair Shop has become one of the BBC’s most popular programmes
“Boosting motivation”
Luke M Luke from Planet Purbeck which is collaborating with Sustainable Swanage, added:
“Previously, the Purbeck Repair Cafe was predominantly focussed on sewing and clothes swaps, but now we want to really expand so that it becomes more like TV’s Repair Shop, making use of all those repair geniuses out there like at The Emporium and the Veterans Forge.
“Our event is about boosting motivation in Swanage and getting together people who are keen to become involved – that’s why we were so happy to get Steve Wyatt on board, as creative skills gave him a whole new sense of purpose in his life.”
Further information
- No booking is required for the free event at The Mowlem, Shore Road, Swanage
- All those interested in attending should just arrive at The Studio in time for a 7.30 pm start on Tuesday 17th September 2024
- Follow Sustainable Swanage on Facebook
