Hackspace Foundation Meetup #3

Discussion Events
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Thursday 8th October 2026 @ 20:00-21:30

Host

Khurram

Agenda

  1. Introductions (5m)
  2. Theme discussion (55m)
  3. What do we want from HSF/what can we do for HSF (20m)
  4. Next meeting (10m)

RSVP

You can RSVP here: HSF Meetup #3 — Fantastical RSVP

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Just tested it worked for me.

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Confirmed here on Firefox on Android: just booked.

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Attendance:

  • Khurram, Teeside
  • Tommie, SLMS
  • Ben, Basingstoke
  • Sandrina, Sussex
  • Matt, ???
  • Adam, HacMan
  • Paul, Richmond Maker Labs

Theme: Benefit of being involved in HSF

  • Central head office
  • Paid staff to take care of things
  • Volunteers have less to do.
  • Template RA
  • Discounts for places
  • Startup funds
  • CEO goes and gets funding.
  • Subscriptions.
  • Thoughts

    • Getting engagement is difficult

    • All the hackspaces have a very different idea of what they want to be.

    • Needs to be supportive rather than control over the groups.

    • Lack of enthusiasm due to a history of not doing anything.

    • If it could provide useful things you might get engagement.

    • There are a lot of resources on UKHSF website. Template RA, and guidance documents.

    • Mostly out of date, needs a bit of an update.

    • UKHSF is a bit of a non-entity, exists.

    • Sat on funds not being used.

    • What are quick wins? A lot of it takes time commitments.

    • Looking at the website, lots broken, blank pages.

    • Is this information still useful with AI?

    • If I was starting a new space

    • Dispute appeal network?

    • Code of conduct template

    • Topics you need to do, adapt for your own purposes

    • Draft one, circulate, get opinions.

    • Disciplinary procedures?

    • Board member churn, investigations not going well, board members not had time to continue this, we have a code of contact, 3 strike system, then ban them.

    • We’ve had to issue a warning quite recently, set the foundations so that disciplinary procedures are in place, there is enforcement mechanism in place.

    • Lone working policy.

    • Could UKHSR cascade law changes out to people?

    • Cultural clashes.

    • HSF - defining responsibilities and roles.

    • Theres loads of good chat, capturing this information.

    • Do we need a community of members?

    • Do we create a [facebook group] for UK HSF?

    • Open discussion forum?

    • Alternatively: People already on so many groups, why don’t we go back to our own hackspace and ask our members to help with things.

    • There is a UK Hackspace Discord

    • Having something for members is something else.

    • Are Hackspaces still being setup, are makerspaces more popular

    • Hackspace = electronics, Makerspace = general, fablabs = machines?

    • Is there competition from arts funded spaces?

    • Is your space political?

    • Charities have to be neutral.

    • If you want people to do stuff, we need to be clear about what you want them to do. Maybe we need someone to organise what jobs we want people to do for us.

    • For the next meeting: Telegram, what are the things that need to be done, to get it moving?

    • Insurance, how should risk assessments be put together, how do you do inductions, get a list of things together from UKHSF, look at that list next meeting.

    • Do we have a Google workspace account? where is information stored, how do we share access, allocate roles?

    • Next meeting: When: Thursday 12th November 20:00-21:30

    • Theme: Building momentum

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