Bunker hosts special Repair and Reuse Day

Tuesday 1 July 2025: Hillingdon Council's Battle of Britain Bunker Exhibition and Visitor Centre in Uxbridge is hosting a 'Make do and mend' themed Repair and Reuse Day on Saturday 5 July to encourage residents to embrace the 1940s mentality of learning how to fix and reuse household items.

People who have had an item fixed at Repair Day
'Make do and mend' became widely recognised during the Second World War and is still used today to describe an outlook of practicality, resourcefulness, and sustainability. 

The session, which runs from 10am to 2pm, is a forties-themed version of the council's regular Repair and Reuse Day events, which are held across the borough to support residents to upcycle broken or damaged items to save money and reduce waste. 

The council's waste and recycling team will be joined by representatives from Traid, the Restart Party, Freegle, Dr Bike and Friends of the Earth, who will be hosting stalls and workshops to help residents learn how to make simple repairs to items like small electricals, clothing and bicycles.

If you don't want to repair your items, you can also drop off any unwanted textiles with Traid who will recycle them, and you can deposit small electricals beyond repair in the pink recycling bin next to the fixing tables.

Cllr Eddie Lavery, Hillingdon Council's Cabinet Member for Community and Environment, said: "Our historic bunker dates back to the 1940s, so it's the perfect venue to host an event that promotes a mentality from that time; an expectation to repair and reuse broken things, rather than throwing them away.

"This is equally important with today's throw-away culture where more waste is produced, which isn't environmentally friendly, so I'd encourage residents to go along and find out how to give their broken bike a new lease of life or to reinvigorate a tired toaster.

"While there, visitors can also buy a ticket for a bunker tour or entry into the visitor centre to add to the nostalgic experience or simply stop in the newly reopened Café at the Bunker for coffee and cake."

Find out more and book your place at the repair tables at discover.hillingdon.gov.uk/repair-day

Page last updated: 01 Jul 2025