A Repair Cafe is a vital community hub where individuals gather to fix everyday items. From electronics and mechanical devices to computers, bicycles and clothing, these groups do incredible work. They unite communities, help people save money, reduce waste and promote a circular economy.
There are over 800 active Repair Cafes operating across the UK. Beyond the environmental impact, they provide immense social benefits, combatting prevalent issues like loneliness and isolation.
As a charity-specialist broker, we specialise in arranging tailored cover for these essential community initiatives. We search the market to ensure your cafe is properly covered, giving your organisation confidence that the cover you have will protect you in the event of a loss or allegation that needs defending.
- Tailored policies for community repair projects
- Pay only for the protection your group actually needs
- Clear advice from experienced, independent brokers
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Essential Insurance for Voluntary Groups
While the risk of a serious incident at a repair event may seem small, it is crucial to have good risk management and suitable insurance cover in place. Furthermore, if you operate in a third party venue, the property owner will usually require your group to have at least public liability insurance before allowing you to use their space.
We will work with you to identify the specific policies your voluntary group needs:
- Public Liability Insurance: This is a cover most commonly arranged for voluntary groups. It protects against claims from members of the public who may sustain injuries or illness as a result of your activities. It also provides essential protection if a property owner seeks compensation for accidental damage caused to their building.
- Employers Liability Insurance: In the event a volunteer is injured whilst carrying out work as part of your group, Employers’ liability insurance is there to protect your group. It is highly recommended for voluntary groups, and legally required if you have any paid staff.
- Professional Indemnity Insurance: If your group provides specific advice or advisory services to the public, public liability will not cover you. A separate professional indemnity policy protects you if someone claims they have had a financial loss based on your guidance.
- All Risks Contents Insurance: Safeguard your Repair Cafe’s tools, testing equipment and other physical assets to ensure your vital work is not interrupted by theft or accidental damage.
Managing Specialist Repair Risks
Certain repair activities carry different levels of risk and may have standard exclusions. It is crucial to inform us about all the activities conducted by your group and your volunteers so we can build a policy that will work for you in the event you need to make a claim.
- White Goods and Large Appliances: If your Repair Cafe fixes items such as dishwashers, refrigerators, washing machines or freezers, you must declare this to us. Many standard insurers do not cover these types of repairs, so we will need to source a specialist provider for your group.
- Portable Appliance Testing: If you repair electrical items, we need to understand the PAT procedures you carry out. We will also need to ensure the individuals conducting these electrical tests are properly qualified.
See what they say
…it was critical that we had the right cover. Despite the lead time that was available to get the quote in, reviewed and agreed Access Insurance met this challenge head on.
They were able to provide cover for what we needed & unlike our previous insurer we did not need to buy a policy that covered several aspects we did not need. I would recommend them.
We felt like lost sheep & not sure what we needed. We were very happy to be guided by their expertise. The staff were extremely helpful and very patient. We would highly recommend them. Excellent…
Very responsive and answered questions politely and fully. Also very competitive pricing-important for a voluntary organisation!
Wow! What can I say; absolutely fabulous service from Access where nothing was too much trouble. Courteous, responsive and extremely quick in setting up our non-profit group’s insurance.
What types of cover do we provide
Our expert advisers work with you to create policies that meet your needs. Sometimes insurance can include common cover such as our public liability insurance for charity organisations. We also provide many other policies that will protect your assets, trustees, volunteers, supporters, participants and activities properly against the risks you face.
Public Liability Insurance
Public liability insurance for charities, sometimes referred to as charity liability insurance, ensures you are covered for claims as a result of injury or third-party property damage involving members of the public or other third parties, such as volunteers, due to your charity’s activities. We can provide charity public liability insurance for non-profit organisations and charities to cover these risks.
Staff Liability Insurance
It’s a legal requirement to have this policy in place if you have paid staff. You must also consider your volunteers’ safety and well-being. We design insurance that enables you to fulfil your duty of care for staff and volunteers.
Trustee Indemnity Insurance
Another popular cover is trustee indemnity insurance which protects people in positions of trust from claims made against them for mistakes or wrongful acts. This cover can also assist in legal costs associated with defending trustees and actions taken.
Professional Indemnity Insurance
To defend against claims for wrongful advice, errors or breach of care given for free or in exchange for payment.
Property and Contents Insurance
To properly protect your charity’s premises, infrastructure and physical assets in the case of theft or damage.
Cyber Insurance
To defend against the increasing risk of cyber-attacks, breaches and claims made regarding theft or loss of data.
and many more…
As specialist insurance brokers for charities, we can develop comprehensive policies to cover all the risks your organisation faces.
Why choose Access Insurance?
We have organised Insurance for numerous Repair Cafes, Men’s Sheds and Recycling Groups. As an independent broker, we take the time to understand your specific activities and match you with the best available protection.
We are proudly part of the Benefact Group – a group that cares about doing business responsibly, which means doing our part to drive climate responsibility and action. See more details on our climate impact on our Group’s page.
For any information, advice, or to obtain a quotation, please contact our dedicated account handlers on 0333 344 7420. Alternatively, complete a quote form online and our team will be in touch to discuss the exact needs of your charity or community group.
Your questions answered.
While the risk of something going wrong is minimal with good risk management, accidents involving tools or repaired items can happen. Additionally, the local halls or community centres hosting your events will usually demand proof of liability insurance before you can open your doors.
Creating a risk register is a great start to assessing the risks you face as a group and actively managing them. This will help you categorise risks from those most likely to occur to those which would have the most severe impact. A risk register will help guide what insurance is most suitable for your group depending on your risk appetite.
Public liability protects against claims from the public. To ensure your volunteers are protected if they are injured while helping you, your group must have employers’ liability insurance which will treat volunteers as ‘unpaid employees’.
Yes, it can, but cover varies between insurers. Many standard policies exclude activities involving the use of power tools, machinery, or the sale of recycled or repaired items. Because of this, good risk management is essential to help protect both your volunteers and members of the public when carrying out repair or reuse activities.
We work with specialist insurers who understand community groups such as Men’s Sheds, recycling groups, and repair cafés. These insurers can often provide tailored cover or add specific endorsements so your policy better reflects the activities you undertake.
Public liability insurance protects your group if a member of the public is injured during your event, or if their property is accidentally damaged.
If you plan to sell recycled or repaired items, you should also consider product liability insurance. This covers claims arising from goods you have supplied, although it may include restrictions depending on the type of products you sell.
Yes. If your volunteers provide guidance rather than hands on repairs, you will likely need professional indemnity insurance. This protects your organisation if someone claims they suffered harm or financial loss due to incorrect advice.
We can discuss specific insurance options to ensure all the tools, equipment and materials necessary for your repair sessions are adequately protected, regardless of who owns them.
In most cases, standard public liability insurance does not cover damage to items you are actively working on. This is often referred to as a “treatment risk” or “goods worked on” exclusion.
For example, if a volunteer accidentally damages a piece of furniture or an electrical item while repairing it, the cost of that damage may not be covered under a standard policy.
Because of this, it is important to think carefully about the type and value of items your group is willing to handle. Some groups choose to set clear limits, for example avoiding high-value or specialist items, or making it clear that repairs are carried out at the owner’s risk.
If your group repairs, refurbishes, or redistributes items such as electrical goods or furniture, product liability insurance is strongly recommended. It protects your organisation if a repaired or donated item later causes injury or damage.
For example, if a repaired appliance develops a fault or a refurbished piece of furniture fails and causes harm, a claim could be made against your group. Product liability cover can help with legal costs and compensation in these situations.
We can arrange cover that reflects the type of items you work with, the checks you carry out, and how items are passed on to others, helping ensure you are protected without paying for unnecessary cover.