We'd like to say a big thank you to all the wonderful MCA (Moorlands Climate Action) members involved in the creation of our first Cheadle Repair Cafe event, and to all our amazing local volunteers.

It was a lovely day with people coming together at the Guild Hall; some bringing great skills, some bringing things to be repaired, some bringing a warm welcome and some bringing cake! All taking away something special from the connection.

On the day I observed, a lawn mower, a tea urn, a handbag and a bike were being attended to. What's wonderful about the process is people bring in something they would like to see be repaired and watch it happen over a chat and a cuppa. It's a great idea for community connection, reusing items that would have gone to landfill, and saving money too.

This was a big undertaking for MCA and we are very grateful to them for showing us what can be done as well as bringing us an excellent event. But what next? The idea was that the collaboration of MCA with Cheadle Town Council would show us a bit of a road map for future events, outlining what might be possible. If it was well attended, if the venue worked, if there were sufficient volunteers etc. could a regular version be set up here as they are in many parts of the county? On the day we took details of people who would be willing to help and we got a positive response. The next step will be a consultation meeting with MCA and a wider audience to discover what we can do in the future.

I personally hope to see a regular repair cafe for Cheadle as soon as possible ,and I believe this is something we can do, if it is something we want to do and can gain sufficient support.

I'd like to personally thank Councillor Paul Keeling for his tenacity and sponsorship of this event. Deputy Mayor Paulette Upton for her tireless contribution to this and many more Cheadle events, and to Mike Jones MCA's repair cafe lead for bringing his amazing team and without whom this event would not have been possible.

THANK YOU! and WATCH THIS SPACE.