Although it’s been low traffic for a while, the North West Google Group – https://groups.google.com/forum/#!forum/NW-hack-space – is a good way to reach active members across the region’s hackspaces and MakerSpaces with your news, events, and proposals for joint projects.
Author Archive
North West mailing list / forum
June 27, 2014MakerSpace FY1, Blackpool – looking for new home & more members.
June 27, 2014Blackpool Makerspace, home of much inspirational hackery, and which also hosts the local GNU/Linux User Group – needs a new site in September, and some additional members to help cover the cost of that. Details below.
This is a post from Blackpool Makerspace mailing list, the Makerspace is currently based at Ripon Road in Blackpool, however it is due to be sold probably in or around September. This will mean that we will be without premises for the Makerspace and Blackpool Linux User Group. If anyone would be interested in entering into a joint Hack/Makerspace please read on, we would be love to hear from you.
We now need to decide if we have enough members who are willing to pay a subscription to take on another premises.
Losing the Makerspace would be a huge blow to our group, but it needs to be financed to support it’s growth.
We estimate that it will cost at least a £100 week to rent a new premises and to pay towards the utility bills.
We have 4 people committed to paying £10 per week, they are myself, Tony, Olly and Les. So we need to raise at least another £60 a week.
We need more people to subscribe at any level that they can afford (up to £10/week) to keep a Makerspace in Blackpool. Please subscribe and help fund our Makerspace which has done so much great work in the Geek Community.
In the longer term, the more people that join the Makerspace, the cheaper the subscriptions will eventually become, this makes it better value for everyone.
If this is not of interest to you but you know someone who might be interested, please feel free to pass on this e-mail to them.
If you or anyone else would like to help please get in touch by any of the methods listed below.
Thank you.
Best regards,
Mike Hewitt
PC Recycler Ltd.
29-35 Ripon road
Blackpool FY1 4DY
01253 293258
07711 736899
www.pcrecycler.co.uk
Potteries Hackspace Re-launch
October 31, 2012It’s tonight! The new space in Newcastle-under-Lyme.
Here’s Simon’s announcement:
“After some clearing (which I sadly missed) and some bench building and pizza, the new Hackspace is now open! The address is
Potteries Hackspace (Formerly Randles Garage)
Higherland
Keele Road
Newcastle-under-Lyme
Staffordshire
ST5 2HN
The entrance is up the slope at the back, in through the roller shutter doors, and we’ve the benefit of being opposite the Wagon and Horses Pub..
Thanks to James for arranging it, we’ve now got plenty of space for crazy building, pizza nights, soldering and small explosions.. At the moment, it still needs work, we need to put in some electrical sockets and get some more desks and things, but its a start!
The first proper meeting will be next Wednesday, (31st) at 7pm, and everyone is welcome!
Bring something to build, play with, show off, or just yourself….
Hope to see everyone Weds..”
and here’s a map link:
https://maps.google.co.uk/maps?q=ST5+2HN&hl=en&geocode=+&hnear=ST5+2HN,+United+Kingdom&t=m&z=16
Meet you in Tunstall
November 2, 2011Things are moving ahead slowly (very slowly, but I’ve been a bit too busy lately). We have the new space in Tunstall at TECC, where we have a temporary bench for making and hacking until they get the grant to expand the internal space, when we will have even more facilities.
We need to start meeting and making regularly, so I’ve put up a poll on Doodle to see which week(s) in the month, and what times, suit people.
http://www.doodle.com/mbem893qgmukcr7f#table
Please fill in your availability – the hackspace won’t gt anywhere without you!
We’d also like to run some weekend events, such as Howduino, to draw in a broader local audience. All suggestions welcome 🙂
A Potteries Hackerspace
June 1, 2011While the geographers may dispute whether Tunstall is part of England’s North West, we’re just happy to announce that the wonderful people at The Ethical Computer Trust in Tunstall have offered us space at their new facility.
Behind these gates - frenzied computer recycling activity and, soon, a hackspace
For more details and updates on the new space as it starts up and develops, join the Potteries Hackspace GoogleGroup – or check back here, or on Twitter.
A Hackspace for the Potteries
May 5, 2010A brief write-up, but it’s getting late 😉
North Staffs’ inaugural GeekUp meeting attracted people from Liverpool, Cheshire & Stoke-on-Trent to discuss setting up local hackspaces. Present were:
Adrian McEwen
Dave Verwer
Tom Bloor
Dan Smith
Alex Beech
Charlie Owen
Dave Roberts
Mark Brereton
Robert Marshall
Kay Foulkes
& Richard Smedley
With apologies from Carl Plant.
Mark Brereton is involved in the Empty Shops initiative in Hanley, as well as various arts projects re-purposing old buildings in Burslem. He put the group onto a couple of good possible venues for Potteries Hackspace, and discussion soon moved to how to finance and expand the space.
Attendees were particularly keen to set up education events to get the young generation hacking – watch this space for more news, or subscribe to the new Google group.
Where Cheshire meets Stafforshire Moorlands…
May 1, 2010Where Cheshire meets Stafforshire Moorlands, close to the borders with Shropshire & Derbyshire, there’s a hackspace meeting at the most southerly part of the North-West: Alsager.
Come along to The Lodge, Alsager 7pm, Weds 5th May, 2010 – a hackspace is not just a building, but a group of interested people, so we need you all 🙂
We have a function room booked, with WiFi & projector.
A hackspace, for new readers, is a building (or room) where people can play creatively with technology: just let your imagination take you where it will. Everything from arduino-powered robots to circuit board jewellery.
This meeting is organised with GeekUp, a social network of Web professionals and technically curious people, but is open to all. Just turn up on the night, we’ll be there until at least 10pm. However, if you want to RSVP, visit: http://upcoming.yahoo.com/event/5750401/
For those not familiar with GeekUp, here’s some info:
“What is GeekUp?
“GeekUp is a community of web designers, web developers, and other
tech-minded folk from the UK. It’s a grassroots knowledge sharing and
networking social for folks involved or interested in the web and
technology industry. Monthly events take place in Chester, Leeds,
Liverpool, Manchester, Preston and Sheffield.
“Who can attend GeekUp?
“While the focus for GeekUp is predominately web related anybody
involved in the technology industry is more than welcome to attend a
GeekUp. The monthly events are free, we just ask that you buy your
own beer.”
Easy to get to by train from Crewe & Stoke. Hope to see some of you there 🙂
We have space – 1500sq ft, Manchester
October 24, 2009
Very quick post, as I’m betwixt #LRL2009 & climbing in the lakes: the Manchester Creative Collective have a great space they want to share with us a few minutes walk south of Piccadilly Station. The space is great; the terms are great; the opportunities for collaboration are fantastic – with all sorts of projects planned out of the factory (they’re even getting a forge!).
More details to follow, and more info when it’s discussed at the meeting in Stockport on Wednesday. Come along if you can – if not watch for announcements here, or on Twitter.
Stockport & SE Manchester
July 13, 2009Posted on behalf of Jon “The Nice Guy” Spriggs
On the 24th June, 14 people met in the Grey Horse pub in Reddish to discuss the foundation of a Hack Space in Stockport. We agreed that we are more interested in working with hardware and electronics than (particularly) software, that we would be happy paying between £15-£20 per month, with scheduled meetings every two weeks on varying days, loosely using the NWDC calendar to ensure limited conflicts on dates.
That said, in between scheduled meetings, once we get a regular venue, there would be nothing to stop regular members from using the space if all members had a copy of the key to get into the space or a pass card to get us in there (depending on the eventual venue). Andrew, a member who is already located within the Mill, said he would ask Broadstone Mill’s lettings people about prices and ideas of what spaces we could use, while I said I would contact another location which was reasonably close – SafeStore, to see what sort of prices this location could offer. The group also said that while members appreciate the overarching group of NW HackSpace, they don’t want to clutter up the list with Stockport specific traffic, hence the creation of an alternative list – http://groups.google.com/group/stockporthackspace.
After this, we had some drinks, and were talking about all sorts of topics until last orders. Out next meeting will be at the same location on Saturday 18th July at 7pm. The Upcoming event page is http://upcoming.yahoo.com/event/3073239
Loft Living
May 6, 2009Yesterday I went to Broadstone Mill to meet the architect, & the owner’s wife, and discuss the Mill as a possible hackspace.
The tower at Broadstone Mill
I have to say I was impressed with the spaces there. The owners are very flexible, and with just a few people this could be far more affordable than anywhere in Manchester. A quick summary:
Pros
There are double height rooms from 150 to 2000+ sq ft; great views to the hills; parking; 10mins walk from Heaton Chapel Station;10 mins drive from Manchester University; Hot-desking space & meeting rooms available.
Cons
It’s not centrally-located; although cheap in the short term it is a commercial space, and possibly not permanent; er… that’s about it on the minus side
Next step? Well, this will only work with people. I know it’s not central Manchester, but it’s a great space; very cheap; has artists there already; and isn’t that far from manchester or Stockport. Let me know what you think in the comments, the mailing list (Google Group), or via Twitter.
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