Local repair businesses and volunteers in Scarborough’s Market Hall have come together to promote sustainability during Great Big Green Week 2025.
Some of the Market Hall’s best-known repair experts are offering discounts and advice to help Scarborough residents fix, restore and revive their belongings instead of replacing them.
Their efforts are part of the nationwide Great Big Green Week, the UK’s biggest celebration of community action on climate and nature, which runs from 7-15 June.
Coast and Vale Community Action (CaVCA) have organised a selection of “Big Green Deals” with local businesses and the message is simple: repair, don’t replace.
Chad, who runs The Last Cobbler, has spent over 30 years in the trade, the last seven of them in Scarborough Market Hall. His services go beyond traditional shoe repairs – he tackles everything from bags and leather jackets to upholstery.
Chad said:
“You’d be surprised what people will spend money on when they’re emotionally attached to something, Sometimes it’s a pair of shoes that went with them on a journey. Sometimes it’s just comfort. Either way, people want their stuff fixed. The problem is they don’t know who can do it.”
As part of Great Big Green Week, Chad is offering 10% off all repair services.
“I just want people to come in and ask questions. Get a quote. Even if I don’t get the job this time, maybe I’ll get the next one. The important thing is that they come and see what’s possible.”
Leigh Emmerson of Market Vacs has been repairing vacuum cleaners for over 35 years and is also offering 10% off repairs throughout the week. His workbench ranges from heritage models to the latest high-tech designs, and his ethos is clear:
“If it can be saved, it should be.”
“People come in thinking it’ll be too expensive, but I don’t charge for looking, and more often than not, a fix is much cheaper than buying new.
A lot of what I see are blockages or broken belts. A simple service can extend a vacuum’s life by years.”
He also emphasised the environmental cost:
“Sending machines to landfill just isn’t sustainable. Repairing is good for your wallet – and good for the planet.”
On the last Saturday of every month, CaVCA’s Repair Café sets up in the Market Hall, offering people the chance to fix their items with help from volunteers. Organiser Peter Ruczynski, a software engineer by trade, says it’s about more than just mending things.
“We don’t just repair – we teach people how to do it themselves,”
“It’s empowering and it helps reduce waste. People come in with everything from tape recorders to torn clothes. Sometimes it’s an easy fix, sometimes it’s about helping them understand their options.”
The Repair Café also strengthens the local economy by referring jobs they can’t fix to local traders such as Chad and Leigh. “If we can’t fix it, we’ll send you to someone local who can,” Peter said. “That way, everyone wins.”
The Market Hall initiative is part of a wider series of offers and events running across the borough for Great Big Green Week. You can find out more about these, including other discounts and activities, by visiting CaVCA’s Big Green Deals page.
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