Jim Patterson, electronics repairer

I’m an electronic engineer who has spent the last 20 years in either industry or academia. When not working I split my time between my family, food (BBQ in particular) and motorbikes.

My day job involves making electronic so I am most comfortable repairing electronics and appliances, but I’ll happily have a go at fixing any kind of mechanism. I have a 3-year-old boy whose glasses give me plenty of practice. Throughout my childhood, my father was always fixing things in the garage and around the house. He never hesitated to involve me in whatever project was on the go as apparently his father did with him. I’m lucky to have been taught so much at a young age so when I found out about repair cafés I thought it would be an excellent thing to do in his memory.

The point I like to get across to people I’m repairing things for is that it is not so much any particular skill I have in repairing, but willingness to have a go – maybe next time they’ll have a go themselves.