Hi All
Just to let you know that there’s a few of us in the Hampton area (ie a couple of miles west of Hampton Court before you get to Sunbury) are planning to launch a MakerSpace in the area.
If you know of people around (inc Twickenham & Housnlow) please do put us in touch!
Thanks
Bob
PS I’ll also be browsing and asking for advice on a few things!
Local to me and sounds good! Do you have a mailing list, google group, forum etc so I can follow your progress?
Thanks,
Andy
Also interested, especially if there is access to an idiot-proof laser cutter!
Hi Andy.
Great to hear from you. Right now there’s just five of us and we’ve only met once. We’ll be starting up mailing list etc soon. We’re considering an offer from a local church who’s going through rebuilding more community space to launch a virtual makerspace with them. I’ll send you more details directly and keep you included.
Thanks again.
Bob
Hi Richard
Great to hear from you too. Please see what I’ve said to gifferz
Thanks. Bob
Yes, amunzip. Thanks for all your help so far.
Bob
Oh. I see. I can’t reply directly - so here goes. Attached is the flyer I’ve circulated, and this is something I sent the others about 4 weeks ago:
I’m writing with exciting news after meeting people in Greenwood & Linden Community Centres and at Hampton Hill URC Church. All 3 want to join in our initiative - primarily so that some of our activities can use their spaces on a regular weekly basis. And they can offer varying degrees of storage space for our kit.
Whilst this will not be appropriate for machine tools, it could well be for craft activities and things like programming computers, robots and drones.
But more importantly, I feel, this could be a low cost way of starting the whole thing up, and measuring the level of interest.
Eventually we might see our own space used for some activities, whilst others happen on a weekly basis in these and other venues. A sort of two-layered community all under the branding of Hampton & Hanwell MakerSpace (or whatever we finally agree to call it).
Linden CC has an empty slot for a class right now, whilst Greenwood CC hope to have a new multi-use space ready by the end of the year. Both seem flexible in how they’d charge although they both talk about needing to be ‘sustainable’ ie seeing income to support their ongoing costs.
Most exciting, however, was meeting John Latham at Hampton Hill URC. Apart from the church itself, they have three of four spaces which are used to some degree including by a nursery school. They’ve received a grant for partitioning the church, and creating two more community spaces which should be ready by Easter. Like the community centres, they will need income and are willing to be flexible in trialling ideas. John is keen to find a variety of ways to launch it and here’s his suggestion
“Let’s launch HH MakerSpace in HH URC’s New Community Facility sometime soon after Easter. It would be accompanied by much publicity. At the launch we’d have stalls showing the different things that could be on offer - some of them run by people you’re already in touch with - others showing a vision of what could be eg a robotics lab. We’d have a questionnaire to help inform of us demand.”
Perhaps also, we’d have food, music, a clown or comedian, somebody in a sandwich board in Hampton Hill. Perhaps also, the day before, the clown and the sandwich board would go to other areas eg Hanworth, Gander Green, Nurserylands Sainsburys, … to invite people.
Exciting eh?
It seems to me, now we’ve got to this point, that we should meet to get to know each other a bit, and to talk about this and other ideas. As I’m going to be away for a week and then helping my daughter-in-law build a tree house in half term, I’m suggesting the week starting 19th Feb. I’ve set up a doodle poll for several lunchtimes and several early evenings here. If you’ve not used doodle before it’s very simple. Once you’ve clicked on the link, you just enter your name and click the boxes for the dates/ times you can do - no login is needed. If there’s none you can do, and you really want to come, please shout and say when is good for you.
So hope to see you soon.
And it would be great Andy & Richard if you called me for a chat on 07926 620 707.
Thanks
Bob
I don’t like phone calls but I will drop you an email. 
email is the most popular way for communication. I also like it.
would like to find out more, as I am in the process of setting up a maker space in West London.
Inviting people to get involved, there is a large space for event and workshop/artstudios near Kewbridge by the river at Watermans Park next to Watermans Art Centre. please contact me.
Hello herx
please call me on 07926 620 707
Bob
thanks bob for willing to help, wanted to ask if i can ask you questions as well?? and also if that’s possible to do via forum/email communication? thanks!