Celebrate Repair Week 2026 with Our New Blanket Badge

3 mins

From 2 -8 March 2026, we’re celebrating Repair Week in partnership with ReLondon - and to mark the occasion, we’ve launched a brand-new Repair Week blanket badge!

What is Repair Week?

Repair Week is a UK‑wide celebration of all things mending. Started by London Recycles in 2020, it encourages people to pick up practical repair skills, discover local repair services, and learn how small fixes can have a big impact. It’s all about championing a culture of reuse and celebrating the value of repairing instead of replacing.

Why is it important to repair things?

Repairing things plays a vital role in building more sustainable, lower-carbon, and more circular communities. At a time when the climate crisis is front of mind, more people are turning to repairing things to:

Save money
Reduce waste
Lower their carbon footprint
Keep treasured items in use for longer

Why should you repair your clothes?

Repairing clothing extends a garment's life, reducing the need to buy new. The environmental benefits are also ginormous! Every repaired item of clothing helps to cut carbon emissions, reduce landfill waste, and lessen the demand for the fossil fuels needed to produce new textiles.

Environmental group WRAP estimates that 613,000 tonnes of post‑consumer household textile waste go through residual waste routes each year, with around 11% ending up in landfill. They also estimate that nearly half of all used textiles end up in household rubbish bins. Repairing clothing to extend its life is one of the simplest ways we can tackle this.

How can I get Scouts involved in Repair Week?

There are lots of fun and hands-on ways for Scouts to get involved in Repair Week. You can start by picking up the Repair Week Blanket Badge, then plan activities around this. How about:

A simple hand sewing session or introduction to mending using needle and thread
An introduction to Sashiko or other visible mending technique
An outing to a local mending event or workshop to learn mending skills
Making some ‘noise’ around fixing things – get your Scouts to tell their parents, grandparents, teachers and friends about Repair Week
Volunteering to help at a local Repair Week event in your community

You can find events to join in London, Liverpool , Greater Manchester, County Durham, Belfast and Cardiff.

There are also some Scouting activities you can get stuck into that count towards badges, like:

Keep your kit fit - Learn how to check and maintain your kit
Patch it up - Learn how to sew patches on clothes
Repair shop runaround - Learn how to maintain and fix a broken bicycle

You could also plan some mending and repairing activities which count towards the DIY Activity Badge

How can I mend my clothes?

There are lots of easy ways you can start repairing your clothes at home. You can try:

Using iron-on patches/badges (including the Repair Week Badge!) to cover small holes
Stitching holes with a zig-zag stitch using needle and thread from our mini sewing kit
Glueing small holes with fabric glue - just make sure all loose threads are sealed to prevent fraying
Looking for mending events in your local community or even volunteer your own repair skills if you have them!

Celebrate Repair Week 2026 with Our New Blanket Badge

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