One year on from our first Fix Club at Windmill Hill Community Centre last May, I’m reflecting on the joys, anxiety, lessons learned and lovely people I’ve met during our community clothes repair sessions.

From wondering if anyone would even come, to a sold out first Fix Club, quickly expanding to a second location at the Southville Centre… Sometimes selling lots of tickets and only three people showing up, and other times, when I’m expecting one or two people and we end up with 10… you never know what’s going to happen, and what kind of repair challenges will be on the table.

Invariably, I go home buzzing (once I’ve chaotically finished packing up my ridiculously big box of mending stuff, with everyone’s kind help!) Each time, I’m struck by how much I love being part of this wonderful, creative community.

And, thankfully, you seem to like it, too.

"I really enjoyed being able to do some very basic patching and feeling supported and not at all judged! I am inspired to try and imperfectly fix rather than throw away clothes."

– Leila

“Fix Club is incredibly friendly and welcoming. I joined as a complete beginner and loved it”.

– Neeraj

“Fix Club was great, helpful tips, lovely people and all the scrap material and thread you need to make some serious mends! It's a fun way to finally do all those repairs you never get around to on your own.”

– Sophie

May 2025 – April 2026 in numbers

In the last year I’ve held 18 Fix Clubs and 3 kids’ clothes swaps across 2 locations. You lovely people have bought 101 tickets online, and a whole lot more on the door (I didn’t count).

People from around Bristol (and beyond) have turned up to mend, swap and make connections.

We’ve shared conversations, creativity, skills, and laughs.

And consumed a whole lot of tea and biscuits, and the occasional glass of wine.

My data collection has been intermittent, so unfortunately I don’t know the exact number of items repaired… but it must be at very least 100.

We also took part in Mend in Public Day, with a gloriously sunny outside mending session at Windmill Hill City Farm (which motivated me to sew my first banner.) Three fellow menders joined me - let’s get more of you along next year!

And, with thanks to regular Fix Clubber Charlotte, I now help to host a travelling children’s clothing swap bag in Windmill Hill.

Video of our first kids’ clothes swap held at Windmill Hill Community Centre last September.

Thank you!

It can be scary putting events out there into the world and waiting to see if other people think it’s a good idea. Sometimes you get it right, and sometimes you don’t…

So, thanks very much to everyone who has come along and got involved, and particularly to the trusty regulars who I look forward to catching up with every month.

It’s been a real joy.

Here’s to another year of making mends and friends.

(If you’ve not yet made it along, I hope to meet you soon!)

What’s next?

I want to make Fix Club more accessible and useful for those completely new to sewing. I plan to introduce a beginners’ kit to help people get started with basic stitches and where to start with repairing buttons, split stitches, patching and darning. (This has been on my list for way too long, aim is to have it sorted by September!)

I’d also love to grow the pool of regular experienced menders coming along to Fix Club, to bring extra knowledge and support to beginners and intermediate sewers and fixers. If that’s you, please drop me a line!

Last by not least, I’m excited to have signed up as a 2026 Sustainable Fashion Week hub. We’ll be running at least three different slow fashion events during the week of 26 Sep – 4 Oct. More info coming soon.

If you have any other ideas and would like to get involved, I’d love to hear from you!

Upcoming Fix Club dates

Fix Club is 1!