September 2026 Newsletter

In this edition:

Repair Cafe
Lockmeadow Litter Pick
The theme for this month – Art
Maidstone Borough Council Eco Hub
Events coming up

Repair Cafe

We had a very busy day of fixing with a footfall of 297.

Early data shows:

82 – Items brought in
59 – Fixed
14 – Repairable (needing parts)
11 – End of Life

Thank you to all the volunteers that made the event happen.

Reactions from Customers

“Ruxy was great, thanks very much for her help!!”
“Will fixed the kettle & did a great job. Quickly identified the issue!”
“It was a very good experience & happy to say both the blender & the kindle are now working”
“This is such a fantastic way to bring the community together. In the world of rising costs, I am so grateful to have used this service.”

The theme for this month – Art

This month the Maidstone CAN Zone focused on ART – showcasing sustainable art, reuse and creativity. Huge thanks to everyone who brought a display along and made the Zone feel special.

Check out details about these wonderful organisations on our website.. Maidstonecan.eco

Maidstone Borough Council Eco Hub

Maidstone CAN stilt walker promoting the Eco Hub and Repair Cafe on the high street

Now in its fifth year, Maidstone Borough Council’s Eco Hub returned this August, based at the Creative Maidstone Community Arts Hub on Gabriel’s Hill – bringing together workshops, arts and crafts, and stallholders celebrating the borough’s biodiversity and sustainability projects. Maidstone CAN members were there supporting every single day the Hub was open.

The two weeks culminated in a visit from the Mayor of Maidstone, who called by to hand out the prizes for the Eco Hub Art Competition – and even posed for a photo with our mascot!

Huge thanks to everyone who gave their time across the two weeks to represent Maidstone CAN at the Hub.

The Mayor of Maidstone and the Maidstone CAN mascot bear with the team at the Eco Hub — Maidstone CAN team with Mayor of Maidstone Brian Clark and the Eco Hub bear.

Lockmeadow Litter Pick

It was a wet start to the day for this month’s Lockmeadow Litter Pick. We worked along the river from Lockmeadow to Tovil Bridge. Alongside the usual haul, some much bigger finds made it onto the trailer this time – including a chair, a bike frame and wheel, a cushion, and even a parasol!