A REPAIR cafe to help people give their seemingly broken possessions a new lease of life launches on Saturday.

The Wivenhoe Repair Reuse Recycle group will be running regular sessions at Colchester Library for people to try and reduce the amount of items they throw away.

Entry is free and people are encouraged to bring anything from clothes, furnitures and electrical appliances to bicycles, crockery and toys.

A team of DIY experts will offer tools, material, help and advice to help restore the items - along with teas and coffees.

The launch event runs between 10am and 1pm, and weekly sessions will run every Tuesday at the library between 4.30pm and 6.15pm.

Wivenhoe Repair, Reuse, Recycle coordinator Chris Blomeley said: "We throw away vast amounts of stuff.

"Even things with almost nothing wrong, and which could get a new lease on life after a simple repair.

"Lots of people have forgotten that they can quickly repair things themselves or they no longer know how.

"We have a passionate team of experts that want to show how much fun repairing things can be, and how easy it often is."

Colchester mayor Julie Young will open the cafe on Saturday.

She said: "The repair cafe teaches people to see their possessions in a new light and to appreciate their true value.

"This type of project is essential to rekindle people’s enthusiasm for a sustainable society, and I would encourage everyone to go along and give it a try.”