The £46,000 grant has been awarded to Greener and Cleaner to expand its ‘Repair and Resilience Bromley’ project, which aims to reduce waste, save money and strengthen community ties by helping people repair everyday items.
The sessions will support people in learning how to fix and reuse items instead of throwing them away.
With the additional funding, Greener and Cleaner will be able to increase the number of workshops and clinics it offers throughout the borough, hire a dedicated repair coordinator, and promote its Community Hub’s Library of Things, which enables the cheap borrowing of items for repair and home maintenance.
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Clare Searle, CEO of Greener and Cleaner, said: “We’re very grateful to West Kent Freemasons for their generous grant. We know that many people in our communities are currently struggling – whether that’s with the rising cost of living, their mental health or a sense of connection and purpose.
“The Repair and Resilience Bromley project builds on our work to bring people together, share practical skills, and support one another—helping people fix and reuse items rather than replace them, saving money while creating meaningful connections.”
Currently, the charity runs two repair cafés per month, a weekly mending clinic, and offers free use of a sewing machine at its community hub in The Glades shopping centre. Demand for the charity’s services is already high, with around 1,000 people using the hub each month and 775 items borrowed annually from the Library of Things.
The expanded project is expected to directly benefit more than 7,000 people in 2026, with wider outreach activities forecast to reach 30,000.
All services under the scheme will remain free and open to everyone in the borough, with a special emphasis on reaching those most in need through food banks and community cafés.
Andrew Waddington from West Kent Freemasons said: “I’m very pleased we’ve been able to help Greener and Cleaner with their innovative repair project for Bromley. In these difficult times, it’s a great idea to be able to learn practical repair skills.”
