About the Declaration

The Bristol Repair Declaration (v.1) was first distributed on 02nd February, 2022 at the Studio 5, Watershed, 1 Canon's Road, Bristol, as part TALES OF CARE AND REPAIR (20210-22).

The Declaration grew out of a series of workshops held throughout October 2021, bringing together people from across Bristol to explore a simple but urgent question: how can we strengthen local repair economies and create better conditions for the repair of everyday goods?

At the time workshops were carried out in partnership with undergraduate course leaders and students at the University of the West of England in BA Graphic Design and Fashion & Textiles and MA Production Design, makers and repairers at The Factory, Knowle West Media Centre and participants at a special edition of The Green Mingle, hosted by the former Bristol Green Capital Partnership (BGCP), now Bristol Climate and Nature Partnership. Alongside this, we gathered perspectives from the Bristol Disability Forum, which campaigns for people’s right to repair their disability aids, and joined meetings of the BGCP’s Climate Action Project. This brought together six community neighbourhood partners to identify local priorities and co-produce climate action plans supporting Bristol’s ambition to become carbon neutral by 2030.

In total more than 300 people contributed to the first Declaration, with their views, ideas and experiences inspiring the creation of the city’s Repair Coalition. This work also formed the bases and inspiration for setting up the Bristol Repair Coalition, an alliance of partners actively working together since September 2024, to change material repair and reuse pathways in the city.

Four years on, as part of the 10th Anniversary of International Repair Day, we discuss the Repair Declaration in Chambers. This free public with invited speakers, will focus on collective reflection and discussion, looking not only on how we might take the Declaration forward, but how we might also add or refine its direction and look collectively to taking things forward. Have your say and booking our place at: