Small town with big ideas. The first village in France with fewer than 1,000 inhabitants to achieve 5 “@” (in 2018), Bras-sur-Meuse is a digital pioneer. Or rather its development in the service of its inhabitants according to the legacy left by the former mayor, Julien Didry, who already administered the locality when it received its first “@”, in 2007.
“We are seeing a clear increase”
“Today, we also find them in Bar-le-Duc, Revigny, Saint-Mihiel, Montmédy, which was created by a former Bras volunteer, Jonathan Demmerlé, and finally in Damvillers, which we supported,” explains Lorraine Caillas, the manager of the Repair café in Bras-sur-Meuse.
While the figures for 2024 have not yet been revealed – “but we are already seeing a clear increase”, she assures – 1,060 objects passed through and 1,324 visitors visited the Repair café between 2016 and 2023. And only 22.7% of objects have blackened the “non-repairable” box.
Which ones? “At first a lot of IT, but household appliances quickly became the majority and still are. We also receive a lot of hi-fi and textiles because we have a good team of seamstresses,” explains the manager. Volunteers, of course. Like all the little hands with big hearts who operate in the Repair café.
“This is not after-sales service”
“We therefore have seamstresses but also specialists in electronics, mechanics, good “tinkerers” and others, who develop their skills and knowledge,” says Lorraine Caillas. Indeed, some visitors have switched to the other side of the counter over the years.
Because pushing the door of the Repair café “engages”, recalls the manager of a structure which organized the first Meeting of Repair cafés of Meuse, in January 2024. “It is not an after-sales service, where we leave a object that we come to recover once it is repaired. People must stay during the repair, even if they do not intervene. Some observe or illuminate using their phone, others participate in repairs: there are several levels of mutual assistance. »
Closed in January due to raclette
To resurrect a coffee maker or mend a piece of clothing, the Repair café welcomes the public every first Friday of the month, from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. “Except in January because it is dedicated to raclette for volunteers as well as in July and August, when we also organize a barbecue for volunteers,” concludes Lorraine Caillas. Repairing objects, okay, but conviviality, first.
France
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