Cumbria's antidote to the throwaway culture got underway as the county's first Repair Cafe opened its door.

Organised by Eden Arts, the event turned Penrith's Old Fire Station in Bridge Lane into a haven of hope for numerous faulty household goods whose owners were keen to give them a new lease of life.

On hand to help were several experts, including an upholsterer and a specialist in musical instrument restoration.

Eden Arts project officer Bryony Fawn was delighted with how the event went and she hopes there will be many more repair cafes in the future

“We've had a steady stream of people through the door and some really nice stories behind the things people have brought in,” she said.

“A little girl brought in a stool which her granddad made 45 years ago. It had been passed down the family.

“But all the leather on its top was worn away, and it was a bit wonky.

"Our upholsterer and musical instrument repairer, who is used to working in wood, took the old leather off and recovered it and clamped it all back together.

“Another little girl came in with a dance bow that had fallen apart. When our sewing expert put it back together her face lit up.”

As expected, others who went to Saturday's event brought more mundane household items that needed some tender loving care, including lifeless toasters, silent radios, flickering lamps, and a Dyson with no suck.

All were repaired.

Bryony explained that the Repair Cafe concept is part of an international movement which has its roots in the Netherlands in 2009.

There are now thousands of such cafes across Europe, saving people a fortune by reviving broken goods.

“It's also a good way of bringing communities together,” she said.

“There are lots of people out there who have the necessary skills to repair things, so the Repair cafe is a way of bringing them together with people who need help.”

By encouraging people to repair items rather than scrap them, Eden Arts hopes to shrink the UK's mountains of waste.

The group's director Adrian Lochhead said: "We throw away piles of stuff in Cumbria -even things which practically have nothing wrong with them, and which could easily be used again after a simple repair.

“Unfortunately, many people have forgotten that they can have things repaired.

“Repair Café wants to change all that."

The repairers who donated their time on Saturday included Narelle Freeman, Sally Shenton, Simon Cole, Maud Mercer, and Chris Cant.