PEOPLE across Somerset are being urged to repair and reuse under a scheme starting this week.

Somerset Waste Partnership's Fixy initiative will help bring repair and reuse of electricals and electronics to communities with a customised van packed with tools and knowledge.

Its first appearance is in Taunton on Saturday (May 14).

The van will travel the county providing tools and a PAT testing service powered by solar panels to support Somerset’s repair cafes and similar groups.

It will attend events promoting repair and reuse, provide information about repair cafes and groups and encourage volunteers to get involved and share their skills.

Teaming up with Somerset-based Donate-IT, Fixy will take donations of broken or unwanted smart tech for repair to pass on to schools, groups or individuals who need them.

For information on Fixy and how to get involved, visit somersetwaste.gov.uk/fixy.

The Fixy roadshow is at eat:Taunton from 10am to 4pm on Saturday. Anyone completing a short Fixy survey will be entered into a prize draw to win a refurbished laptop, smartphone or tablet.

The team will also signpost people to Taunton Repair Café, which is running from 1.30 to 4.30pm at Moose Hall, on Tower Lane.

The Repair Café volunteer specialists will do their best to fix anything taken along, including electricals, electronics and clothing, as well as furniture, toys, tools and ceramics. They will also sharpen knives and small tools.

Repair cafes are also scheduled to be running in Wells and on the Blackdown Hills on Saturday.

Mickey Green, SWP managing director, said: “There are volunteers dotted around the county doing fantastic work and we’re here to help them flourish.

“We want everyone to consider repair and reuse before recycling or throwing things away, especially electricals and electronics."

Working electricals and electronics should always be passed on to others or donated to charity shops if they are no longer needed.

Broken items that cannot be repaired for reuse can be recycled from the kerbside as part of Recycle More collections. Items must be small enough to fit into a carrier bag which should be left untied next to your other recycling.

Sarah Hargreaves, behaviour change lead at Resource Futures, said: “We hope Fixy will help bring the idea of repair to every high street, and help people rethink their relationship with the things they buy and own."