May is "Big Fix Month" — Take part in our May Mend and Repair Challenge

May is officially "BIG FIX Month" and also Sustainable Fashion Week UK's "Mend It May", and here in Leighton Buzzard it’s the perfect moment to celebrate the growing repair culture that’s taken root in our town.

Join the May Mend and Repair Challenge | Edwina Osborne

placeholder image — Join the May Mend and Repair Challenge | Edwina Osborne

Both awareness campaigns are designed to shine a light on what we can collectively do build a better repair and reuse culture. For instance, the BIG FIX Month originated in Devon and was set up to celebrate the power and community spirit of Repair Cafes. In 2025 over 140 repair cafés (including the local Repair Cafe LB), and 1448 volunteers took part, mending 2358 items and saving more than 63,000 kg CO2e.

Saving even one item, such as by mending a hole in a favourite jumper, to save it from being binned, can potentially save over 16kg in CO2 emissions, which is the equivalent of powering a 60 watt standard lightbulb for over 50 days. All of these small changes add up.

"Learn to Mend" events - 3rd Saturday of month at Leighton Buzzard Library | Thais Ortiz

That's why, every month, volunteers at Totally Leighton Buzzard and the Repair Café LB help local people and neighbours rescue much‑loved items, share skills, and keep useful things in circulation — and this May we’re inviting even more people to get involved.

We’ve also launched "Learn to Mend", a new series of small, friendly sessions taking place on 3rd Saturday of month from 10am to 12pm at Leighton Buzzard Library. These sessions are where anyone can pick up simple repair skills themselves, from basic sewing to caring for everyday household items. It’s all about confidence, creativity and community.

And with Great Big Green Week arriving in June, this month is a brilliant warm‑up - a chance to try something new, meet others, and take small steps that add up to a greener town.

Your May Mend and Repair Challenges

Learn a new repair technique — try a stitch, a tool, or a fix you’ve never attempted before
Challenge a friend to repair with you — mending is more fun (and more motivating) together
Join your local mending circle — connect, learn, and share skills in good company

Whether you bring something to fix, join a "Learn to Mend" session, offer to volunteer or simply cheer on the local repair movement, you’re part of a town that chooses repair, reuse and community over waste.

Find out more on social media or at https://linktr.ee/leightonbuzzard . Pre-register to attend next Repair Cafe LB at https://repaircafe.leightonbuzzard.org - All welcome!