Hello again, fellow readers and fixers! Now, Gareth recently appeared on the Toby Foster at Breakfast radio show on BBC Radio Sheffield. In this radio interview, he discusses with Toby Foster about Reyt Repair, as well as the background behind repairing items.
If you have a BBC Sounds account, you can listen to the 10th February 2023 episode here. When it starts playing, scroll to around the one hour, thirty-eight minute mark, where the interview starts. There is a limited time window to listen to the show before the BBC pulls it from the service. I compiled a transcript of the radio interview, so you can read it here if you can’t access the recording of the show.
I also included sub-headings in the transcript, so you see more clearly about what topics Gareth and Toby were discussing.
Transcript of the radio interview
(Introduction)
Toby Foster: Imagine setting up your own shop in Sheffield, and getting compared to this. So of course the theme tune of the BBC show “The Repair Shop”, from Sheffield has it’s own version now, Reyt Repairs! Gareth Coleman is the founder, and he’s on the line now. [Speaking to Gareth] Gareth, good morning.
Gareth Coleman: Good morning.
Toby: So, tell us about your shop, Gareth. How long have you been there, and what do you do?
Gareth: We’ve been there about three months now, and we’re a social enterprise powered by volunteers. And we repair clothes, electricals and furniture.
Toby: Fantastic stuff. “Lost skills”, a lot of people would say?
Gareth: Well, I don’t think they are ‘lost’. There’s been a bit of a bad patch over the last 40-50 years. But we still find there’s plenty of people who love repairing things. And especially the older generation; they were brought up on it, obviously.
(About how Reyt Repair operates)
Toby: So what kinds of things can you do? What kinds of things do you repair?
Gareth: Well, everything from vacuum cleaners to holes in clothes. We fix small tables and chairs, and other bits of furniture. Pretty much everything around the house. Just a couple of exceptions; we can’t fix microwaves, and we’ve got a really poor success rate with a couple of things like hand blenders and electric toothbrushes and things. But pretty much, we’ll have a go at anything!
Toby: Because most things are fairly logical once you start to open them up, aren’t they?
Gareth: Yeah, well obviously, these days with smart speakers and this and that, there’s a lot of variety. Your basic vacuum cleaner is quite a simple device, really. It’s got a switch, and a fan, and a motor – and that’s pretty much all of it. Obviously, things get a bit more complicated with televisions or computers. But we’ve got quite a wide team of people with some really incredible skills. And we’re certainly not afraid to have a go at things, even if the chances are a bit bleak.
(Discussion about repairing clothes)
Toby: Talk to us, if you will, about clothes. Because when I was a kid, clothes were all out and I was older, so at least I got them first. But you would have clothes that were best clothes, and then you would slowly mess them up. And then you put holes in them, then they became playing out clothes. And these were two very different drawers; your good clothes and your playing out clothes. Then when you came home from a wedding, you put your playing out clothes on. That’s changed to a degree, because Tesco have made a pair of jeans for £3.
Gareth: Yes.
Toby: You know, that certainly my kids didn’t have the kind of demarcation of clothes in the way that I did. But I do find that now they’re getting older, they’re getting into repairing clothes rather than just buying new.
Gareth: Yes, it’s become quite trendy again, I think. I mean, fast fashion is a bit of a problem for several (reasons). It’s not that great for the environment to buy clothes, wear them a couple of times and then fling them out. So I think young people – well, all of us – are getting a bit more, kind of aware of the virtues of repairing things. And especially when you’ve got a a favourite pair of jeans. It doesn’t really matter how much they cost. Since these are the jeans that you met your missus in, then you are going to want to save them, you know.
(Examples of repurposing clothes)
Toby: Sure, absolutely. So have people been bringing clothes into you for repairs, for alterations, that kind of thing?
Gareth: Yeah, we’ve had quite a mixture. We’ve had a bridesmaid’s dress that we’re turning into a skirt. And that’s sort of one end of the spectrum. And then we’ve had plenty of coats which have broken a zip, and holes in pockets. Darning the sleeve of a jumper, and even making an outfit for a little teddy bear.
Toby: Fantastic stuff. I mean, obviously, do you watch the repair shop?
Gareth: Of course. You know, I’ve got a bit of a love-hate relationship with it. I love the show and watching them fix things. But obviously, it’s all shiny and great entertainment. But yeah, it’s not exactly like that in Sheffield!
Toby: So would it be a little bit easier when you’ve got an unlimited budget and all those aids?
Gareth: Exactly. And unlimited time as well, you know. Gluing a Ming vase back together, that’s not our strength.
(About the wider environmental impact)
Toby: But it’s entertainment, shouldn’t it? And what it does do, hopefully, is highlight the fact that people like you are around.
Gareth: Yes.
Toby: And that, you know, like you say, it’s something that’s become relatively…I’m going to be interested in this as I get slightly older. You know, because my kids are getting well into this kind of thing now, in a way that they were much more throwaway when they were younger. Fingers crossed that we become like this.
Gareth: I mean, it’s a combination of things. I mean, obviously the cost of living crisis has really sharpened everyone’s mind. But it’s also the things for the environment. If your hoover or clothes have only got something small wrong with them, then it’s such a shame to put it into landfill. (Then) have to get something made halfway round the world, and shipped over to you. When for a little bit of fettling, you could be up and running, you’ve saved money, and you’ve saved the environment, and everyone’s happy.
(Discussion about volunteers at Reyt Repair)
Toby: Do you find sometimes you’ll open something like…? I’ve just gone and looked on your website and saw a picture there of Dylan opening a broken tube amplifier. I’m guessing repairing an old valve amp is not only incredibly rewarding, but also you can buy the valves and put them in. When you open them up and you just see a load of chips?
Gareth: [Laughs] Yeah. Well, I mean we’ve got a volunteer who’s skilled in the art of tubes. And we’ve also got volunteers who know their way around chips. So yeah, it’s a different ball game. You need better eyesight and, certainly, we’re lucky in that we’ve been donated a microscope. So we’re looking forward to using that. But it’s a different skill set, but we like to share skills with each other, because everyone’s got a different set of skills. You don’t have to be an expert in tube amplifiers to volunteer with us.
(About funding Reyt Repair and attracting volunteers)
Toby: And volunteers are who you are looking for, isn’t it?
Gareth: Well, that’s it, you see. Because in order to make this service really affordable, which is really important to us. Because there’s no point doing this if we’re going to be charging hundreds of pounds (£), then most people just won’t be able to afford it. And the other thing is, if you combine things for £30-40, then you have to make the repair £10 or £20 in order for it to make sense. You know, (even) with the best will in the world, people aren’t going to spend as much on a repair as they could getting something new. So because of that, we need volunteers to do the repairs, basically. And so, as we get more customers in, and we’re getting a steady flow of customers, we’re really appealing for some more volunteers to join us.
(Concluding the radio interview)
Toby: Well, if anybody wants to get involved, then all they’ve got to do to give us a ring, and then we shall pass all of their (phone) numbers on. You’re in Pitsmoor, aren’t you?
Gareth: Yeah! We’re at sunny Pitsmoor, at Abbeyfield Park House. Please feel free to get in touch. And as you said, we’ve got a website, and we’re on the social media (platforms) and all that.
Toby: It’s reyt, R-E-Y-T. Reyt Repairs. It’s absolutely fantastic. Wish you the best of luck, Gareth. Thank you very much indeed for talking to us.
Gareth: Fantastic, thanks Toby!
(End of radio interview)
And this is the full transcript of the radio interview! You can contact Reyt Repair using this form if you want to join the repair teams. And as always, we’re eager to welcome new volunteers for our BitFIXit repair cafes as well! So remember folks, just keep calm and keep on fixing!