Fix your technology.
Learn digital skills.
Find answers.
A free pop-up repair café at Currys, Elder Gate, Milton Keynes, Tuesday 13 October 2026, 11am to 1pm. Bring an old or slow laptop or desktop and we will help you fix it yourself — or turn up empty-handed and use one of ours. No experience needed and nothing to pay.
An initiative sponsored by
The practical bit
A morning at Currys on Elder Gate, as part of Milton Keynes Tech Week. Turn up with a machine or without one — we will find you a seat and a screwdriver either way.
When11am to 1pm
Tuesday 13 October 2026. A two-hour session in the middle of the day. Places are limited.
CostNothing
Nobody is selling you anything. No experience needed.
WhereCurrys, Elder Gate
Unit A, The Place Retail Park, Elder Gate, Milton Keynes, MK9 1EN.
© OpenStreetMap contributors
Everyone is welcome. We pay particular attention to the people who get skipped: assumed to know it already because they are young, or assumed to be past learning because they are not.
Who the Digital Repair Café is built for
It is probably not broken.
It has just been neglected.
Bring it along and we'll help you fix it yourself, with someone patient sitting beside you. Nothing in the drawer? Come anyway — we will have laptops and desktops there to take apart and tinker with.
We can help you:
Make an old machine fast again
More memory, a new drive, or a proper clean-out if it runs hot and slow.
Install Linux and free software
So you're not stuck buying Windows or Office.
Get set up with free alternatives
Replacements for the big tech apps you use every day.
Sort out staying safe online
Passwords, scams, and what to actually worry about.
You do the work, we show you how. If it's past saving, we'll help you recycle it properly.
Laptops and desktops only, sorry. We can't repair phones or tablets, but bring your questions about them anyway.
You do not need to bring anything. There will be laptops and desktops on the bench to open up and try things on.
No question is too basic. The people who ask the basic ones are the ones who go home understanding how it works.
And short talks on the day:
Up to three fifteen-minute talks each session, chosen from these seven by what people ask for most.
- Revitalizing aging computers Component upgrades, maintenance, and free, open-source software solutions. 15 min
- Repurposing your old smartphone Instead of discarding it. 15 min
- Taking true ownership of your digital media Including games, videos, and music. 15 min
- Creating and hosting your own website Indefinitely, at no cost. 15 min
- Ten immediate actions to enhance your online security 15 min
- Transforming e-waste into a home server Converting old desktops or laptops into private cloud systems for media, ad-blocking, and automation without recurring fees. 15 min
- Navigating the hidden dangers of refurbished electronics Identifying counterfeit parts and pre-installed malware when purchasing used devices. 15 min
Made for the people help usually skips
Everyone is welcome, at either end of the age range. We pay particular attention to the people who face the steepest barriers to getting help in the first place.
- Disadvantaged backgrounds
- People facing socio-economic barriers, who miss out on the tools and skills others take for granted.
- Mental-health conditions
- People living with mental-health issues, who benefit from a calm, patient and supportive space.
- The neurodiverse community
- People who are neurodiverse, including those with autism and ADHD, welcomed exactly as they are.
- Later in life
- Older people written off as past learning this, which is untrue and is why so few places bother to teach them.
( 05 ) say hello
Come and say hello
We post what turns up on the bench and what walks out working. Bring us a question, or show us what you fixed.