Sustainable Bubwith: A New Community Venture Takes Root

For the past few years, the Bubwith Parish Council has been looking at ways to encourage sustainability and environmental awareness within our community.

The Parish Council’s eco subgroup has taken a few different forms over the years, including Love My Parish, and while the ideas and enthusiasm have always been there, we’ve been looking for ways to turn those ideas into something practical that people across the parish can get involved with.

Now, those seeds are finally beginning to grow.

We’re excited to support the launch of Sustainable Bubwith, a new community venture bringing together a Repair Café and Farmers & Makers Market, in collaboration with Bubwith Leisure Centre and local grower Catherine Jepson.

Repair, reuse and give things another life

The Repair Café is based around a simple idea: before something is thrown away because it is broken, could it be repaired instead?

The first event will provide an opportunity for local people with practical skills to come together and help repair items, share knowledge and perhaps learn a few new skills along the way.

We’re currently looking for volunteers who are confident repairing things and would be happy to share their skills with others.

You don’t necessarily need to be a professional repairer. If you’re good at fixing things and enjoy helping people, there could be a place for you.

Supporting local farmers, growers and makers

Alongside the Repair Café, we’re also launching a new Farmers & Makers Market.

The aim is to create a genuinely local market where residents can discover and buy products that are made or sourced locally, while giving small producers, growers, farmers and makers an opportunity to reach people in their own community.

We’re looking for local farmers and growers, food producers, bakers, makers, artists, crafters and anyone producing natural, sustainable or locally sourced goods.

Stalls are just £10, with the first market taking place alongside the Repair Café.

The first event

The first Sustainable Bubwith Repair Café and Farmers & Makers Market will take place on:

Saturday 10 October
1pm to 4pm
Bubwith Leisure Centre

It’s an important first step, but we know that getting something new off the ground takes more than an idea.

It needs volunteers.

It needs farmers, growers and makers.

And most importantly, it needs our community to come along and support it.

A venture that can grow

For now, we’re keeping things fairly simple and seeing how the first events develop. But there’s plenty of scope for Sustainable Bubwith to grow in the future.

Ideas could include clothing swaps, plant-focused events, specialist repair sessions and other opportunities to repair, renew and repurpose.

The intention isn’t to create another large-scale event. It’s to build something genuinely local, useful and community-focused.

The Parish Council is particularly pleased to see an idea that began within our environmental work several years ago now becoming something residents can actually take part in.

If you can repair something, make something, grow something, sell something locally or simply come along and support the venture, you can help Sustainable Bubwith grow.

For information about becoming a repair volunteer or booking a stall, contact Catherine at or 07544 147007.