A charity is converting its art space every Friday into a co-working hub to encourage community and networking among freelancers.
East London is home to more artists than anywhere else in Europe, but it is also one of the most economically deprived parts of the UK. So, St Margaret’s House, which supports well-being and creativity in Bethnal Green, launched ‘Co-working Fridays’ last month at their art hub, Create Place to support the self-employed.
The programme allows freelancers to use the space for a three-hour slot every Friday, either from 10am to 1pm, or 1pm to 4pm for just £5.
Users can book a slot in advance or simply turn up on the day.
Community arts manager Siobhan Forshaw, who runs Create Place, said: “You can’t move in East London without tripping over a co-working space – they are popping up everywhere in response to changing labour practices, especially in the creative industries.
“We wanted to offer something a bit different to what is already out there. The Create Place is a lo-fi, homely environment and we have desk spaces available just for people working on creative or community-focused projects.
“We are making plans to build a collecive and produce a future programme of workshops and events based around the needs of freelancers”.
The space offers Wi-Fi, coffee, a meeting room and a private garden. There is also the award-winning vegan cafe, the Gallery cafe, run by the charity.
Find out more here.
