Farnham’s handiest group has made a big impression in Buckingham Palace as they’ve become the second from the town to win a royal accolade.

Royal congratulations are due as Farnham Repair Café has received the King’s Award for Voluntary Service.

Two of the nine Surrey voluntary groups to receive the 2024 award come from the Farnham area as Tice’s Meadow Bird Group are also proud recipients.

The award is the equivalent of an MBE and celebrates high-performing voluntary groups making a big difference to their local community.

The FRC has become a vital resource for Farnham residents since being founded in 2015 and gaining charity status two years later. The monthly café based at The Spire Church has successfully repaired more than 2,600 items from irons and kettles to laptops and textiles.

They have welcomed nearly 6,000 owners and have saved more than seven tonnes of waste from landfill, 68 tonnes of carbon emissions and an estimated £220,000 in replacement costs.

Everything is done by volunteers with the current team contributing a staggering 2,220 hours a year. They boast a staggering set of skills, combining decades of experience in electrics, mechanicals, software development, textiles, furniture and more.

“We are thrilled to have received this recognition,” said FRC founder and chair, Professor Martin Charter in expressing his gratitude to volunteers.

“Their passion for repair not only helps individuals save money but also contributes to the larger goal of reducing CO2 emissions and combating the throwaway culture.”

Mayor of Farnham, Cllr Brodie Mauluka, congratulated the “wonderful group” for their “much-deserved award” with the town council supporting them from the outset and helping with their transition to charity status.

He added: “Farnham is very lucky to have such an effective group which is doing so much to give a new lease of life to items that would otherwise end up in landfill.”

The combined skillset and camaraderie of volunteers has been key to the FRC’s success with the café recently hosting its 100th session.

“I joined FRC shortly after it started and after I had retired as a jet engineer,” said appropriately-named long-time volunteer, Clive Handy.

“For me, the best part is when you've fixed a product and you feel the gratitude of the owner and the sense of achievement that something has been saved from landfill.”

“I enjoy the fantastic community atmosphere of FRC,” said product owner and frequent visitor, Mike Baker.

“I always have excellent service from FRC repairers and have had a number of successful repairs completed that have included a complicated hi-fi cassette player.

“In addition, both me and my daughter were incredibly grateful to FRC textiles team who have a brought back to life a teddy bear and Basil Brush.”

The FRC and Tice’s Meadow Bird Group are among 262 charities, social enterprises and voluntary groups from across the UK to receive the prestigious award.

The Lord-Lieutenant of Surrey, Michael More-Molyneux, will present both groups with a crystal award and certificate signed by His Majesty to representatives later this year. He congratulated the winning groups and highlighted their outstanding contribution.

He said: “Their work, along with others from across the UK, reminds us of all the ways in which fantastic volunteers are contributing to their local communities and working to make life better for those around them.”

As well as supporting the local community, FRC also supports the wider repair movement as they’ve welcomed similar groups from other towns and offered advice in setting up and operation.

The FRC has initiated a knowledge-sharing network of more than 20 local repair cafés called the Greater Surrey Repair Café Network, with the model also inspiring the launch of a similar alliance in Taiwan.

With support from UCA, to help demonstrate its impact, FRC developed its website - https://frc.cfsd.org.uk/ - and a repair carbon calculator that is used by more than 100 repair cafés worldwide.