Repair cafés in the West Midlands invited to apply for funding as energy from waste operator offers up support
A leading UK energy from waste operator, with a new base in Sandwell, is inviting repair cafés in the West Midlands and across the UK to apply for funding as it makes £20,000 available.
enfinium has launched the third year of its Repair Café Support Fund, with funding available to repair cafés located near its facilities across England and Wales.
In 2025, more than £4,000 was awarded to three repair cafés in the West Midlands, including St John’s Harborne Repair Cafés in Birmingham, Rehome Repurpose Repair Café in Stafford, and Rosliston Forestry Repair Café in Swadlincote, all located near to enfinium’s under-construction Kelvin facility in Sandwell.
This has taken the total funding allocated to repair cafés in the West Midlands to more than £8,700 across seven grants since the business launched the initiative in March 2024.
The money has enabled the repair cafés to divert waste from landfill and helped to advance the circular economy as well as enabling people to keep hold of cherished items for longer while saving money on repairs and replacements.
Mike Maudsley, CEO at enfinium, said: “By empowering communities to repair rather than replace, Repair Cafés play an important role in reducing waste and advancing the circular economy from the bottom up, as well as forming an integral part of the local communities where we operate. As an operator committed to managing unrecyclable waste in the most circular way possible, we at enfinium are proud to continue to support these impactful local initiatives help keep waste out of landfill for another year.”
James Reed, lead at St John’s Harborne Repair Café in Birmingham, said: “We have now received support from enfinium’s Repair Café Support Fund for two consecutive years.
"It has enabled us to substantially increase the range of services we offer and invest in some specialist tools and spare parts which would otherwise be unavailable to us. We are extremely grateful for the support enfinium has offered us and would encourage any other repair cafés considering applying to do so.”
Repair cafés located within a 30-mile radius of enfinium’s Kelvin facility in Sandwell can apply for up to £1,500 of grant funding.
Applications are currently open and will close on May 31. To apply for funding visit the repair café page on enfinium’s website or email communityfunding@enfinium.co.uk.
