THE mayor of Blandford popped in to the town’s repair cafe – and ended up staying for the whole event.

Cllr Hugo Mieville was at the February meeting of the Blandford Repair Cafe to meet repairers and those bringing items in the hope they could be restored.

Sheila Chapman, on behalf of the repair cafe, said the mayor was at the cafe from 1.30pm and stayed until closing time at 4pm.

“He chatted with repairers and customers alike and was seriously impressed by the repair work being carried out by the volunteers, the quality of the home made cakes available in the tea room for the waiting customers and the social atmosphere of the afternoon,” she said.

Cllr Mieville said: “It was an absolute pleasure on Saturday to attend the monthly Repair Cafe session at the Scout Hut, and to see what they do.

“I was given a guided tour of the cafe by organiser Carole de Saram, and I was very impressed to see the wide range of services – ranging from seamstress skills to electronic wizardry – available to those needing all manner of repairs to household items.

A cheque was handed to Paul Williams, of The Big Yellow Bus

“The lovely cafe also provides a space where one can relax, drink a cup of tea, and have a chat. I had a lovely afternoon, and was very impressed by all that I saw.”

The repair cafe regularly donates to Nourish (Blandford Food Bank), one of the mayor’s chosen charities for this year.

During the afternoon, a cheque was presented to Paul Williams of The Big Yellow Bus, based just outside Blandford at Shillingstone.

The next Repair Cafe will take place as usual in the Scout Hut on Sunday, March 24, from 1.30pm to 4pm.