This autumn, London’s iconic Borough Market will be filled with the buzz of young traders, as local primary school pupils take over the Market’s historic stalls for the annual Young Marketeers Harvest Sale, taking place 11am – 1:30pm on 2 October 2025.

The Young Marketeers programme gives children the opportunity to get their hands in the soil and discover where their food comes from. With the support of food educators and Borough Market traders, pupils not only deepen their knowledge of healthy, seasonal, British grown vegetables, but have the unique opportunity to develop the skills needed to market and sell their own produce in Borough Market. The Young Marketeers programme is delivered by charities School Food Matters and Borough Market.

Previous research from Borough Market highlights just how valuable this education is. While children were generally familiar with common produce, with 95% able to correctly recognise carrots and strawberries, the easy-to-grow courgette and beetroot were identified by just 31% and 28% of children*. Initiatives like the Young Marketeers sale help close these gaps and broaden children’s food literacy.

Borough Market’s experienced traders play a crucial role in the programme, sharing their expertise to help students develop business know-how, presentation skills and the confidence to engage with customers. By passing on a legacy of knowledge about quality produce and customer service this project sets out to inspire the next generation of chefs, growers and market traders.

This Harvest Sale will once again support food redistribution charity Plan Zheroes. Since 2014, Plan Zheroes has worked with Borough Market traders to collect surplus food and deliver it to charities and community groups across London. Together, they have rescued more than 151,000kg of food, the equivalent of over 360,000 meals for Londoners in need. Dedicated volunteers visit the Market six days a week to ensure good food never goes to waste.

Alistair Maddox, CEO at Borough Market, said: “Harvest is one of the most special times of year at Borough Market and it’s a joy to see the next generation of Londoners taking their place behind our stalls. The Young Marketeers sale is more than just a fun day out – it’s a way of equipping children with food knowledge, cooking skills and the experience of running a business. As a charitable trust, sharing our love for good food with the community is at the heart of what we do, and this programme embodies that spirit.”

Stephanie Slater, Founder and Chief Executive of School Food Matters, said: “For nearly 15 years, the Young Marketeers programme has demonstrated the powerful impact of food education. Children not only learn how to grow fresh fruit and vegetables but also develop the skills and confidence to share that knowledge with their friends and family. Research shows that food education has lasting impacts on children’s health and wellbeing, which is why hands-on projects like this are so important. By giving children and young people the chance to experience food from seed to market stall we’re setting them up for healthier and happier futures.”

The Young Marketeers Harvest Sale will take place at Borough Market on 2 October 2025 from 11am – 1.30pm.

Students from 12 London primary schools sold school-grown fruit and veg at iconic market
All proceeds will be donated to redistribution charity Plan Zheroes, tackling food poverty

The Young Marketeers Summer Market Day returned to Borough Market on Thursday 3 July 2025, with 60 pupils from 12 London primary schools setting out their stalls in one of the capital’s most iconic food markets. The children sold a selection of fruit and vegetables they had grown from seed in their school gardens, raising a total of £730.08 for Borough Market’s food waste charity partner, Plan Zheroes.

The Young Marketeers programme, now in its 14th year, is a partnership between charity School Food Matters and Borough Market, itself a charitable trust. Through the programme, pupils not only learn how to grow fresh seasonal food, but they also gain first-hand experience of running a business and receive expert training from Borough Market’s traders on how to be confident and engage customers. The children joined traders such as Hickson & Daughter, Raya and Northfield Farm in March to learn what it takes to be a brilliant market operator.

This summer’s budding market traders offered up an impressive homegrown harvest, including beetroot, French beans, lettuce, salad leaves, peas, carrots and Chinese radishes, all nurtured by the children in their school gardens.

learned how to care for their crops with former Blue Peter gardener and horticultural expert Chris Collins. Each school also received a visit from a School Food Matters gardener to check on progress and give growing advice.

This year’s Summer Market Day continued to support the food redistribution charity Plan Zheroes. Since 2014, Plan Zheroes has been collecting surplus food from Borough Market’s traders and delivering it to charities and community groups across London. In that time the partnership has repurposed over 151,000kg of food and provided 360,594 meals for Londoners, with their volunteers visiting the Market six days a week.

LONDON, 26 February 2025 – A recent survey conducted for London Recycles ahead of Repair Week 2025 has revealed that Londoners spent an average of £464.21 per person replacing damaged or broken items they believe could have been repaired over the past year. This adds up to a staggering £3.24 billion across London, marking a £240 million increase from a similar poll conducted for London Repair Week 2024.

The findings highlight the significant environmental and financial benefits of repairing rather than replacing items. However, many Londoners are unaware of affordable repair options or don’t feel they have the skills to fix things themselves.

London Repair Week 2025: free workshops and events

London Repair Week 2025, running from 3rd to 9th March, aims to inspire Londoners to embrace the repair revolution. With almost 90 active partners holding over 220 events across the city, many of which are free, the week offers opportunities to learn practical repair skills while connecting with others in the community.

56% of Londoners from the survey agreed that participating in a repair workshop would make them feel more connected to their local community, and 33% claim to have made friends at similar events in the past.

Workshops will cover a wide range of skills and items. Confirmed event hosts include London National Park City, Decathlon, TRAID, Kundakala, NOW Gallery and Trash Club. These workshops are designed to empower participants to extend the life of their belongings while reducing waste and saving money.

Repair Week has expanded beyond London again this year, bringing the repair movement to even more communities across the nation. Greater Manchester will be taking part for the third year running, while Cardiff, County Durham, Liverpool City Region, Belfast and Northern Ireland will take part for the first time.

Ali Moore, Head of Campaigns for London Recycles, said: “London Repair Week is about empowering people to make their stuff last longer, meet people and connect with their community. Whether you’re motivated by financial savings, environmental

concerns, or simply want to learn a new skill, there’s something for everyone at this year’s event.”

For a full list of workshops and events during #RepairWeekLDN, visit the London Recycles website London Recycles | Repair Week – What’s On.

Survey findings: a growing appetite for repair culture

The survey conducted by Censuswide reveals a growing interest in repair culture among Londoners:

77% want to learn repair skills to save money
67% would prefer repairing items themselves if they had the knowledge
57% are concerned about the cost of replacing broken items in the coming year
56% enjoy repairing items with others and want to learn more
58% would attend more local repair events if available locally
80% feel a sense of achievement when repairing things

Despite these positive trends, commonly discarded items like shoes (31%), clothing (29%), and kettles (27%) are often thrown away without exploring repair options.

Launching the UK’s first electrical repair voucher scheme

In addition to the events and workshops, an innovative repair voucher pilot scheme is being announced during the week. Funded by the North London Waste Authority and delivered in partnership by The Restart Project, ReLondon and FixFirst, this scheme is the first of its kind in the UK and aims to tackle one of the biggest barriers to repair: cost[2].

Key details of the scheme include:

Vouchers offering consumers 50% off repair costs (up to £50)
A trial run will take place across North London, with businesses accepting vouchers in Haringey, Hackney and Waltham Forest.
Launch date set for 1 April 2025, running for six months
The vouchers are available for use on repairs to household electrical items like toasters, kettles, lamps and tech including mobile phones and laptops

How it works: North London residents can apply for a voucher online and will receive a QR code to use at participating repair high street businesses listed on an interactive map. Once a repair is booked , customers receive their discount at payment. Businesses then claim back the cost from partner Fixfirst.

Fiona Dear, Co-Director at The Restart Project said: “Repair is hugely popular, but cost is one of the main reasons that people don’t fix their electricals. So we’re delighted to be trialling a repair voucher scheme in North London. The trial will directly reduce repair costs for Londoners, encourage more people to try out repair, and support North London’s repair businesses. We look forward to seeing the impact of the pilot, and making the case for further, longer-term schemes in the UK.”

However, school gardening is on the increase and growing fruit and veg at school could be the ticket to eating a more varied diet

12 London schools lead the way by selling their school-grown produce at the Young Marketeers Harvest Market Day in London’s iconic Borough Market on 2 October

The proportion of children growing their own fruit and vegetables at school has increased by 10% since 2018, according to new research of over 1,000 7-11 year olds commissioned by Borough Market¹. Almost half (49%) of children surveyed have tried growing fruit and veg at school, up from 39% in 2018. What’s more, children have cited growing their own produce as the biggest influence on them trying a wider variety of fruit and vegetables.

Since 2011, Borough Market and School Food Matters have been running the Young Marketeers programme, designed to help school children in London understand where their food comes from and how to cook with it. Children who take part in the programme grow their own fruit and veg at school, before selling their produce to the public at London’s iconic market.

The research found that while children are familiar with many types of fruit and veg, there are still some gaps to be filled. When asked to identify different fruit and vegetables, the most recognised were carrots and strawberries (with 95% of children surveyed correctly identifying them). Yet, the low-cost, easy-to-grow courgette and squash were among the least recognised, with just 31% and 36% (respectively) identifying them correctly. The most mysterious veg was the humble beetroot which just over 1 in 4 (28%) children surveyed could identify correctly.

Almost a third (30%) said that growing their own would encourage them to try more varieties of fruit and vegetables. This was above seeing their family eating more (23%), being offered more at school (20%), seeing their friends eating more (18%) or even their favourite music star (9%), suggesting a rising hunger from children to get their hands dirty and get growing.

Nearly one in five (17%) children say they never help with cooking, with 20% of this group stating the reason they don’t is that they are not allowed to. However, there is a desire to get hands on, with more than half (54%) of respondents said they would like to learn how to cook and 44% would like to learn how to grow their own fruit and veg.

Jane Swift, CEO at Borough Market, said: “It’s really encouraging to see the passion and curiosity from school children around growing food and understanding about where it comes from. Growing their own produce is a great way for children to connect with the food on their plate and our research suggests it could even be the ticket to helping them eat a more varied diet. The Young Marketeers programme is a leading example of how this can be done and we are proud to have been supporting School Food Matters to reach pupils across London for the last 13 years.”

Stephanie Slater, Founder and Chief Executive at School Food Matters, said: “It’s a shame that so many children leave school without understanding that food comes from the soil, not the supermarket. The Young Marketeers programme exists to help change this, by taking children through the entire food journey – from growing and nurturing to harvesting and selling their own produce.

“Each year, children tell us how much they love learning outdoors and deploying their entrepreneurial skills on Market Day. There’s a wider benefit too. Children who grow their own fruit and vegetables are more likely to try them, develop positive eating habits, and become more aware of issues around health and nutrition. It’s for these reasons that School Food Matters is calling for the government to kickstart a food education revolution across the country, so that every child in every school can develop the skills they need to lead happy and healthy lives.”

On Wednesday 2October, from 11am – 1.30pm, children from 12 local primary schools will be setting up stalls in London’s iconic Borough Market to sell fruit and vegetables that they have grown from seed at school, as part of the annual Harvest Market Day. All proceeds will be donated to Plan Zheroes, a food redistribution charity that collects quality surplus food from businesses in London and redistributes it to charities supporting vulnerable people across the city.

To date, the partnership has seen more than 250 schools attend trader training. Some students have grown their own fruit and veg and sold it at the Market, while others have made soup from seasonal produce. Over the years, over £14,000 has been raised for charities from these sales.

To find out more about the Young Marketeers programme, watch the following video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qwq2M1pH1ig  

For more information on the Harvest Market Day, visit: schoolfoodmatters.org/what-we-do/projects/food-education/young-marketeers

We’re at the cusp of a whole bunch of awards celebrations and we have plenty to celebrate! We’re thrilled to have been shortlisted for multiple awards for our innovative communications solutions. Of course, the pride and glory of awards are always enjoyable, but more than anything, we’re pleased with what this recognition says about our work.

Having judged many awards ourselves, we know that creativity, innovation and impact are what’s needed to make an award entry stand out from the crowd. At Barley, we blend strategy, creativity, expertise and passion into social purpose communications that deliver real impact for our clients.

Here’s a snapshot of the work we’ve been shortlisted for:

Rebranding a charity for ETP

To mark a new era for ETP, we designed a bold visual identity that unifies perspectives, clarifies the organisation’s message and charts a course for the future. We developed a new website that’s been shortlisted for Best Website or App at the Memcom Excellence Awards and Best Marketing Initiative or Project at the Association Excellence Awards.

Membership organisation, EACTS

The European Association for Cardio-Thoracic Surgery (EACTS) – a 4,000+ membership organisation for the cardiothoracic surgical community that aims to improve outcomes for heart and lung patients around the world – has been shortlisted for Best In-Person Event of the Year at the Memcom Excellence Awards.

The shortlist for EACTS is for the 37th EACTS Annual Meeting which took place in Vienna in 2023 – and we’re proud to support EACTS to deliver the flagship event. At Barley, our work includes managing organic and paid social media to drive over 5,000 participants to the event, publishing a daily newspaper over the four-day event and working with Go Forth Films to produce a daily highlights video. Barley is again supporting EACTS with this year’s Annual Meeting, which is being held in Lisbon from 9-12 October.

Environmental behaviour change campaign for Keep Britain Tidy

Based on eye-opening data about people’s buying habits, we created and delivered a topical campaign across digital and social platforms, setting our audience the task of buying nothing new for a month. This one is up for Behaviour Change Campaign of the Year at the Global Glood Awards and the Education, Training and Communication Award at the National Sustainability Awards.

Charity communications for Nordoff and Robbins

We’re shortlisted for PR Team of the Year at the Charity Times Awards for our strategic approach to media relations for the inaugural Northern Music Awards – helping Nordoff and Robbins raise their profile, raise funds and demonstrate the impact of their life-changing work as the UK largest provider of music therapy.

Local authority communications for Suffolk Waste Partnership

Our #ShakeItOut campaign to reduce recycling contamination has made a lasting impact, resonating with Suffolk households through eye-catching creative across multiple communications channels. This standout campaign of this year’s awards has so far been shortlisted a whopping eight times.

And there’s more! In addition to our client work, Barley has also been shortlisted for several agency awards, including the Women in Green Business Awards and the Association Excellence Awards.

This recognition is true testament to the dedication, imagination and enthusiasm our team brings to every project. And we’re ever appreciative of our marvellous clients for choosing Barley to deliver across a wide range of their communications needs.

Bring on the celebrations!

Community-led organisations in Cumbria and Northumberland invited to apply now

A new £500,000 funding programme to support community-led projects in rural Northumberland and Cumbria is today being announced by The Royal Countryside Fund, in partnership with The National Lottery Community Fund.

The fund which launches on 1^st August, is seeking applications from organisations across the two counties that have the potential to ‘power up, not prop up’ rural communities. The initiative – the first county-based programme from The Royal Countryside Fund – aims to revitalise these areas by funding original, innovative projects that address the unique challenges and opportunities they face.

Figures show that the average wage in rural areas is 7.5% less than the urban equivalent, yet residents must spend up to 20% more on everyday items like fuel and transport, while many living in rural communities also face hidden levels of hardship such as loneliness and isolation.

Individual organisations can apply for up to £30,000 each over a period of 18 months to deliver activities designed to boost economic, environmental or social stability. Applications are encouraged from projects which have the potential to provide financial benefits to the locality, build a stronger sense of community and connectedness and/or increase environmental sustainability.

Keith Halstead, Executive Director of The Royal Countryside Fund, said: “There is huge untapped potential within rural communities to drive economic prosperity and find innovative solutions to environmental and social challenges. This funding opportunity aims to support transformative initiatives that will truly inspire change in rural parts of Cumbria and Northumberland.

“We are particularly excited to see ideas that offer new and original solutions to rural challenges, especially where there is potential to replicate these in other communities and increase the scale of change. We are also profoundly grateful for the substantial support from The National Lottery Community Fund, which enables us to significantly enhance our impact.”

Duncan Nicholson, Regional Head of Funding for North East & Cumbria at The National Lottery Community Fund said: “We are delighted to be funding this terrific initiative in partnership with The Royal Countryside Fund and committing to the environmental sustainability and resilience of communities across these two counties.

“Supporting communities to be environmentally sustainable is one of our key missions at The National Lottery Community Fund, and thanks to National Lottery players we will be able to fund projects across the region to address local climate issues and create an infrastructure for the benefit of current and future generations.”

The Royal Countryside Fund has so far invested more than £12 million in over 500 rural community-led projects, including two previous examples of highly innovative and impactful projects in Cumbria and Northumberland:

Grizedale Arts and The Farmers Arms in Cumbria: a project in collaboration with the community which turned an old pub into a rural hub, creating a local space for creative and business projects to run as well as hosting training events and volunteer placements for local people.

Blackhall Mill Community Association in Newcastle: a community initiative to develop a how-to-guide and model for setting up an electric vehicle car club, called a ‘car club in a box’, to enable other communities to create their own. The innovation is designed to support the development of new clubs in other communities, de-carbonise transport, improve accessibility and strengthen to sustainability of their own club for the community.

The Royal Countryside Fund is seeking applications from community projects that will create tangible change, helping to do one or more of the following:

Help provide financial benefits to the locality
Build a stronger sense of community and connectedness
Benefit the local environment, creating positive benefits for the community
Create an innovative and replicable approach, addressing an unmet need within a rural area

To apply, visit www.royalcountrysidefund.org.uk/grants to submit a short video and complete a simple ‘Expression of Interest’ form, explaining why the idea is needed in the area, how it will help the community, how it demonstrates innovation and the long-term ambition for the project.

On Wednesday 7^th August The Royal Countryside Fund will host two webinars for people interested in applying to ask questions and find out more about the fund and application process:

Cumbria-6pm: https://us06web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_AuJSQyN7SmSGon0VsPwOwA
Northumberland- 7pm https://us06web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_VpTKxrMASeyMFhIH821PDw

A coalition of major brands is being created to support the development of Home Advantage – a series of real-world household trials to support UK homeowners on their journey to net zero. The first companies to join the initiative are B&Q, Barratt Developments PLC, Starbucks UK, TSB and Unilever UK, who have been brought together by Hubbub. The environmental charity will develop clear guidance for how to support households to reduce their climate impact, based on in-depth research and testing. Insights from the research will be shared with policymakers, businesses and campaigning organisations to inform their understanding of how they can best support households on their journey to net zero.

Households have a crucial part to play in reducing climate-damaging carbon emissions and reducing waste, alongside government and businesses. 32% of the emissions reductions needed between now and 2035 to meet the UK’s net zero goal are down to the choices made by individuals and households according to the UK Climate Change Committee¹.

The initiative will see in-depth qualitative and quantitative research conducted over the coming months. UK households will be surveyed to understand current behaviours, motivators and barriers to change and to identify what support they need to overcome these barriers. Alongside this, Hubbub will work closely with a sample of homeowners to test behaviour change and messaging approaches, and to test potential policy scenarios.

The businesses involved will be helping to share insights to inform the project, as well as test ideas to help customers save money and live more sustainably.

The household guide to sustainable living developed as a result is expected to provide a holistic view of how households can be better supported by businesses and government, covering a wide range of topics including energy, food, fashion, electronic waste and green finance. It will also provide solutions aimed at helping people to save money, to support both people and planet –and will generate evidence to debunk the myth that sustainability is an unaffordable luxury in a cost-of-living crisis.

Legislation and incentives from government and business will be vital to remove systemic barriers to sustainable living faced by UK households. Insights from the research which will be used to engage businesses and policy makers to support the changes needed.

Gavin Ellis, Director and Co-Founder at Hubbub said: “Recent research from DESNZ found that 80% of people are concerned about climate change. Our experience is that most people want to play their part to protect the planet, but they aren’t always sure what they can do, where to start or whether it will make a difference. By fully understanding the everyday barriers faced by households, Home Advantage will provide realistic steps and solutions that people can easily incorporate into their daily lives that will collectively make a real difference, as well as highlighting where systemic support is required.

“The expertise of the coalition of fantastic companies will be invaluable. We’re keen that we have representation from brands that touch on all significant aspects of people’s lives and would particularly be interested to hear from any energy providers and supermarkets who are interested in joining us.”

Sam Dyer, Head of Sustainability, B&Q said: “At B&Q we want to make a positive difference through tangible action to minimise the impact we, and our customers, have on the environment. By working with Hubbub and other collaborators, we aim to better understand and improve how we engage with homeowners and renters to help them to make more sustainable choices for their homes, for their benefit and the benefit of society as a whole.”

Yvette Edwards, UK & Ireland Head of Communications and Corporate Affairs, Unilever said: “At Unilever, we have ambitious climate targets and we’re clear we cannot achieve these alone. That’s why we’re committed to playing our part in wider systemic change, working with peers, regulators, policymakers, consumers, and other stakeholders. We are really pleased to be partnering with Hubbub and other businesses on the Blueprint for Sustainable Living. It will help us to better understand the barriers households face when it comes to taking action, and using these insights to inform our own work and to advocate for policies which will achieve the transformation we all need to see.”

Companies interested in joining the initiative should email hello@hubbub.org.uk

Fund established to drive innovation in cardiothoracic surgery

International experts from Europe, the US and Asia convened in Paris on 19th and 20th of April for the second EACTS Innovation Summit.

EACTS, the European Association for Cardio-Thoracic (CT) Surgery, launched a brand-new Innovation Hub at the summit, which will champion investment in innovation to support the development of cardiothoracic surgical treatments and improve outcomes for patients. This reflects the fact that innovation and opportunities for improving patient care by implementing upcoming disruptive techniques in CT surgery are of central importance to EACTS.

At the Innovation Summit, engineers, chemists, molecular biologists, AI and robotics specialists, surgeons, industry leaders and policy makers discussed new technologies, pioneering treatment pathways and future surgical developments. Participants heard some of the very latest disruptive ideas in cardiothoracic surgery, including how AI and immersive technology are changing and will continue to change the entire field of CT surgery, including cardiac ultrastructure imaging, the future of robotic surgery and the engineering and distribution of Super-Organs.

Global specialists were also able to discuss other priority topics, including:

Principles of innovation
Leveraging ChatGPT4 in Cardiac Surgery
Heart valve of the future
Extracorporeal circulation (CPB, ECMO, ECLS, hibernation, hypothermia and organ repair)
Artificial Intelligence for CT surgery
Lymphatics in CT surgery.

Speaking at the Innovation Summit, past EACTS President (2022) and Co-Chair of the summit,Friedhelm Beyersdorf,said: “Emerging technologies and artificial intelligence are changing cardiothoracic surgery. We know that innovation often takes place at the borders between specialties and that is why we brought together delegates from across disciplines. Our second Innovation Summit with clear action from the discussion groups alongside the creation of our new Innovation Hub provide a clear message that EACTS is serious about innovation.”

As part of the new Innovation Hub, launched at the summit, EACTS members will be able to apply for grant funding to stimulate research and advance innovation in cardiothoracic surgery. Grants will be awarded from a fund that EACTS has recently established. The grants will be available to EACTS members only, through a competitive process over a five-year period. EACTS will be particularly interested to see applications that focus on the priority topics from the Innovation Summit and that are likely to create real-life opportunities to improve patient outcomes. The grant application process is set to launch in October 2024.

The grants will be overseen by EACTS’ new Innovation Committee made up of research, academic and industry experts. Past EACTS Presidents Friedhelm Beyersdorf and Mark Hazekamp have been appointed Chair and Vice Chair, respectively. Recruitment for additional members is underway.

Past EACTS President (2021) and Co-Chair of the Innovation Summit,Mark Hazekamp, said: “The Innovation Hub will stimulate new concepts and support inventors and creators to bring their ideas to clinical use. Using, implementing and further developing these upcoming opportunities is a priority for us at EACTS in order to further improve outcomes for patients with heart and lung conditions now and in the years ahead.”

Interest in innovation is high with EACTS members submitting 55 high quality abstracts for presentation at the Innovation Summit. Fourteen abstracts were selected alongside four exciting ‘wild card’ submissions.

Due to the number of high quality submissions, a further ten of the highest rated abstracts will be shared with delegates during one of two innovation sessions at the 38^th EACTS Annual Meeting, taking place in Lisbon, Portugal this October. Four keynote presentations specially selected from this year’s summit as the most innovative and thought-provoking will be presented in a second innovation session.

£1.9 billion worth of repairable items binned & £3 billion squandered on replacements in past year

Amidst the continuing cost of living crisis and the ever-deepening climate crisis, the London Recycles campaign is championing affordable and accessible repair services across the capital with London’s fourth Repair Week running from 11th to 17th March 2024.

Censuswide research, commissioned by London Recycles, reveals a staggering figure: Londoners discarded an estimated £1.9 billion¹ worth of repairable items last year, an average of £269.42 per adult in London, marking a £100 million increase from a similar survey commissioned by the campaign a year ago.

The financial toll is significant, particularly considering that Londoners also forked out an average of £459.80 to replace damaged or broken items that could have been repaired. Extrapolated across all Londoners, this amounts to a jaw-dropping £3 billion[1] spent replacing repairable stuff!

In more positive news the desire to change is palpable: 73%[2] of Londoners express a willingness to repair items themselves if the process is straightforward, while 71%² express a desire to acquire repair skills to save money. However, accessibility remains a hurdle: 65%² of Londoners lament the scarcity of nearby repair shops, while 63%² feel that there’s not enough support for repair businesses to keep them afloat on the high street.

In the words of Ali Moore, head of campaigns for London Recycles:“The fact that so many people are getting involved in Repair Week again shows what an appetite for repair there is in the city – and there are lots of simple repairs we can undertake ourselves to prolong the lifespan of bikes, clothes, furniture, and electronics. But for more complex repairs, repair experts usually offer services at a fraction of the cost of buying new – and these need to be accessible, which means we need to help the repair sector to thrive across the capital.

“We really hope that Repair Week inspires people to mend their own things but also leads to more support for organisations offering repair services to their community – for instance by landlords offering access to vacant shop premises, or financial institutions providing more business support, or simply through local people setting up or making better use of their community repair hubs or cafes. There’s a clear role for repair as people continue to struggle with cost of living pressures, because it can save us money by keeping our stuff in use for longer.”

To help bridge the skills gap, London Repair Week returns from 11th to 17th March 2024, featuring over 70 partners hosting events and workshops across the capital. These initiatives aim to empower Londoners with the knowledge and skills to repair their belongings, save money, combat climate change, and rekindle affection for long-neglected possessions!

Deputy Mayor for Environment and Energy, Shirley Rodrigues, said: “We must continue to do everything we can to minimise waste and tackle the climate emergency.

“Repair Week is a fantastic way for every single Londoner to play their part and I hope it will inspire us all, as we keep building a fairer, greener and more prosperous London for everyone.”

With Repair Week promising to be bigger and better than ever, the lineup includes a diverse array of events, from bicycle and textile repair workshops to electrical repair sessions – many of which are free of charge. ReLondon has also unveiled a series of free mini repair hack videos on their website, offering practical guidance for budding repair enthusiasts.

Confirmed event hosts for #RepairWeekLDN include UCL Plastic Waste Innovation Hub, Fabrications, Makers Cabinet, and Hackney Fixers. For a comprehensive list of workshops, repair hacks, and a directory of professional repair services, follow the links below:

Join us in transforming the way we use our stuff, one repair at a time. Together, we can save money, protect the planet, and rediscover the joy in our cherished possessions!

The brief

The Eurekas is an annual physics competition for students aged 11–16 across the UK and Ireland. It forms part of the Institute of Physics’ (IOP) Limit Less campaign, which aims to diversify the young people who continue with physics after 16 and to encourage students to see physics differently.Following the successful 2022 launch, IOP reappointed Barley to promote the 2023 competition. Our objectives were to reach more of the campaign’s diverse target audiences and increase the number of submissions from the previous year.

Insights and approach

Our campaign focused on parents and teachers who would support students entering the competition, while also directly engaging young people aged 11–16 — particularly those from backgrounds traditionally underrepresented in physics.

To keep the competition inclusive and open to a wide range of interests, we developed the 2023 theme: how does physics power your passion?

Using insights from the 2022 evaluation, we refined our strategy. This included bringing in influencers to extend reach and credibility. Charismatic teacher Bobby Seagull encouraged his students to think differently about physics, while engineer and mother Dr Samira Ahmed created warm, engaging videos that introduced her audience to the competition.To reinforce scientific credibility, we secured physics communicator Alom Shaha and Eurekas ambassador Shivani Dave as judges, alongside campaign creator Ray Mitchell.

Results

We doubled the number of submissions from 2022 and increased participation from students and schools by around half.

Our organic social campaign generated strong engagement, achieving half a million impressions and 10,000 interactions. Paid social activity reached 200,000 people.

Influencer activity performed well too, with 19 posts generating 50,000 video views, 112,000 impressions and 2,000 engagements.Local media outreach amplified the winner announcement in Leicester, securing interviews on BBC Radio Leicester and Capital FM Leicestershire, broadcast coverage on ITV News Central, and an article in the Leicester Times.

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