Guest Blog: Ross Cameron from Remade Network

Guest blog by Ross Cameron from Remade Network

Remade Network launched their Repair Stop at Govanhill Baths Community Trust’s Deep End in July last year, serving customers from our Covid-proof hatch. Thanks to the support of the local community, we’ve outgrown our small space and are now able to expand to Victoria Road, which means creating four more jobs and bringing our staff team to 10. We’re really delighted as we’re committed to creating green jobs in the community, and to helping regenerate the high street.

Here Ross Cameron, our electrical repair technician, talks about his time with Remade, which saw him moving from the event industry to working in repair, and some of his favourite repairs…

– Sophie Unwin, Director and Founder, Remade Network

I’ve spent most of the past five years working as a technician in the live event and music industry, and in the course of that work I found myself making a lot of repairs on the equipment I was using. One of the good things about that industry is that most of the equipment we used was designed to be repaired by the people using it, and it wasn’t uncommon to see some pieces of equipment in use (in less than ideal environments no less) for well over 20 years. Unfortunately, it seems that’s a rare exception, as most consumer goods these days appear to be designed without long term serviceability in mind.

…most consumer goods these days appear to be designed without long term serviceability in mind. 

The Covid-19 pandemic, and the ensuing mothballing of the events industry, coincided with a desire on my part to make a change in my career, and I was thrilled when I was given the opportunity to work with Remade Network, delivering an affordable and accessible repair service to the public in Govanhill, the area where I live. It’s provided me an opportunity to use my skills in repair in a more environmentally conscious manner. I’m a firm believer that reuse of consumer goods is a key aspect of the fight against climate change and environmental degradation – not only does reusing goods reduce the amount of energy and resources used in the manufacture of new items, but it also prevents harmful chemical and plastic agents from entering the ecosystem. I’ve always loved to help teach people new skills, and through teaching people how to repair and reuse their possessions, they can gain a deeper sense of ownership, and re-contextualise their items as objects which have had a physical life before it came into their possession, and that may have a lasting effect in the environment after they’ve disposed of them.

I’m a firm believer that reuse of consumer goods is a key aspect of the fight against climate change and environmental degradation…

One of my favourite repairs so far was an old Sony flip clock from the 1980s. It was a complete birds nest of cabling inside, so it took a while to get it properly dismantled. It looked like the motor that drove the axle the numbers rotate on was dead, but the clock was so old we weren’t able to find a suitable replacement part. Not wanting to let such an interesting item end up in the landfill, I very carefully disassembled the motor and cleaned each of the gears and cogs inside. With a copy of the original design diagrams I found online, I was able to reassemble the motor correctly, and the clock has been keeping time ever since.

In April, we’re working to move our operation to a larger and more visible premise on Victoria Road, and with that, expanding our opening hours in response to the high demand we’ve had so far. When Covid-19 lockdown rules begin to abate, we’ll be able to host more workshops and educational sessions in this new space, as well as offering refurbished tech for sale at an affordable price. We’ve had a fantastic reaction from the public. People are incredibly keen to keep their items going for a while longer, especially heirlooms and gifts that they have a strong emotional connection to.

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