Community Projects
Repair Cafe Support
HTT attends community Repair Cafes across the Calder Valley as the resident technology specialists. Bring any device. No appointment, no charge, no jargon.
Serving Heptonstall, Mytholmroyd, Hebden Bridge and surrounding villages.
Coming up
Next Repair Cafes
No booking needed. Just turn up with whatever is giving you trouble.
Heptonstall Repair Cafe
10am - 1pm
Heptonstall Junior School, HX7 7NX
Free technology help. Phones, tablets, laptops, printers. Drop in any time during the session.
Mytholmroyd Repair Cafe
1pm - 4pm
St Michael's Church Hall, HX7 5AF
Free technology help. Bring any device and we will take a look on the spot.
Why this matters
The Digital Divide Hits Hardest Where There Is No One to Ask
Repair Cafes started as a movement to reduce waste and build community skills by mending broken items together. Most cafes cover furniture, clothing, bikes, and household goods. Technology is the category that most volunteers find hardest to help with, and the one where residents most often leave empty-handed.
In rural West Yorkshire, calling out a specialist for a device problem is expensive and slow. For older residents, people on fixed incomes, or anyone without a technical friend nearby, a broken phone or laptop is not a minor inconvenience. It cuts people off from prescriptions, banking, family video calls, and local news. HTT turns up at Repair Cafes to fill that gap.
What we do
Free Tech Help at Every Session
We act as the technology specialists within the Calder Valley Repair Cafe network.
- On-the-spot device help
Phones, tablets, laptops, printers, smart speakers, routers. If it runs on power and has a screen, we will take a look.
- Honest advice, no sales pitch
If a device is beyond repair we say so plainly, and point you towards the right next step. We do not push paid services.
- Software problems sorted
Slow devices, viruses, forgotten passwords, frozen apps, update failures. We work through it there and then where possible.
- No booking, no waiting list
Repair Cafes are drop-in by design. Walk in at any point during the session and we will fit you in.
- Plain English throughout
We do not talk over your head. If we fix something, we explain what happened so you understand it yourself next time.
- Wider network links
We work within the broader Repair Cafe movement and can signpost to other free repair events and local digital help services.
How it works
What Happens When You Come Along
Drop in during the session
Repair Cafes are open to anyone. There is no booking. Just turn up during the advertised hours and bring your device with you.
We take a look together
One of our team sits with you, listens to what has been happening, and works through the problem. You are part of the process, not watching from the side.
We fix what we can on the day
Many software problems, settings issues, and account lockouts can be resolved in one session. For hardware faults we give you an honest assessment and options.
We explain what we did
Before you leave, we walk through what happened and what to watch for. Knowledge stays with you, not just with us.
The bigger picture
Part of a National Movement
The Repair Cafe movement was founded in Amsterdam in 2009 and now has thousands of locations worldwide, including a growing number across the north of England. The shared mission is straightforward: teach skills, reduce waste, and build community connections by repairing things together rather than replacing them.
HTT joined the Calder Valley Repair Cafe network to be the technology strand of that work. As a Community Interest Company, any income from paid services goes back into funding events like these. The free sessions are not an add-on to our business. They are part of why we structured the business the way we did.
Come to a Repair Cafe
Next session: Saturday 14 June, Heptonstall Junior School. No booking, no charge. Just come along.