Richard Lloyd is a man of many talents. As well as having had a long career in science and technology, he is a musician and keen woodworker and restorer. He is passionate about fixing things and empowering others to do the same, which has led him to play an instrumental role in helping to launch and oversee Palmerston North Repair Café.
Repair Cafés are an international movement. They are free pop-up events where people can bring in their broken and damaged belongings, and volunteer experts do their best to repair them.
Palmerston North Repair Café launched in September 2022 with the support of Environment Network Manawatū, Palmerston North City Council, Menzshed, SuperGrans Manawatū and other community organisations. The café works in co-operation with local businesses with the overall goal of improving access to and understanding of repair, repurpose and recycling opportunities within the city to reduce waste and engender resilience, connection, and cohesion.
Being involved in the Palmerston North Repair Café was a no-brainer for Lloyd.
“As a 10-year-old living in the UK, I used to fix (more often than not) the neighbourhood kids’ toys – especially electric-powered toy cars and the like. So, fixing must be in the blood! I have always been appalled by the way we casually discard things that can be repaired and how many things are made to break and be discarded,” he says.