Our New Focus & Ethos
Creating Space for People to Thrive
When we first created The Space, we had a fairly simple idea in mind. We wanted to create somewhere that we would have liked to work ourselves.
A calm, beautiful place where work and wellbeing could sit alongside one another. Somewhere independent practitioners, freelancers, creatives and small businesses could come to work, meet clients, teach, create and breathe.
But, as The Space has grown, we’ve realised that it’s becoming something more than simply a place to hire a room.
It’s becoming a community.
And perhaps without quite realising it, this has started to shape the direction we’re taking The Space in next.
A Place to Belong
One of the things we’ve loved most about running The Space is seeing the connections that happen here.
People arriving as strangers and gradually becoming familiar faces.
A conversation over coffee leading to a new collaboration.
A practitioner recommending another practitioner.
Someone coming along to an event and discovering a new connection, idea or opportunity.
These things aren’t necessarily what people come to The Space for, but they’re often what makes them want to come back.
We’ve started to think more deeply about how we can nurture that.
How can The Space become somewhere that doesn’t just provide a physical place to work, but somewhere that helps people feel connected, supported and inspired?
That question has been quietly shaping our new focus and ethos.
Making Work More Sustainable
We know from our own experience that running a small business can be incredibly rewarding, but it can also be demanding and, at times, isolating.
There are always more things to do.
More decisions to make.
More ideas competing for attention.
And often, nobody else to tell you when it’s time to step away from the laptop.
That’s why we’re increasingly interested in the idea of sustainable ways of working.
Not just sustainable in an environmental sense, but sustainable for people.
How can we create working environments that support our energy, our creativity, our businesses and our lives outside work?
And how can we help independent businesses find a way of working that feels good for them, rather than simply following someone else’s idea of success?
Our New Memberships
Our new membership structure is one part of this.
We’ve created different ways of working from The Space, from occasional room hire and co-working through to regular Class Host and Resident Memberships.
The idea isn’t that everyone needs to become a resident.
It’s that there should be a way for different kinds of businesses, at different stages, to find a place here.
And once you’re working from The Space, you’re part of our wider community.
We’ve also introduced our Community Impact Membership, offering reduced room hire to registered charities and community organisations.
This came from our belief that we can use what we already have to support people who are doing good work in the world.
For us, that’s another part of creating a space with purpose.
Work and Wellbeing, Together
Perhaps this is the clearest expression of where we’re heading.
We don’t believe work and wellbeing need to exist in separate worlds.
We can be ambitious about our businesses whilst also caring for ourselves.
We can be productive without being constantly busy.
We can build meaningful businesses without doing everything alone.
And we can create spaces where people feel both professionally supported and personally at home.
That’s what we’re increasingly trying to create at The Space.
Not a traditional co-working space.
Not simply a room hire business.
And not a wellbeing centre in the conventional sense.
Something somewhere in between.
A place where work, wellbeing and community can meet.
What’s Next?
We’re still figuring some of this out as we go.
The Space is a small, independent, family-run business, and part of what we love about it is that it can evolve organically.
We’re listening to the people who use it.
We’re noticing what brings people together.
We’re experimenting with new ideas and seeing what resonates.
And we’re excited to keep creating more opportunities for people to work, connect, learn, pause and grow here.
Because ultimately, our focus is quite simple.
We want The Space to be somewhere that helps people thrive.
In their work.
In their businesses.
In their wellbeing.
And, perhaps most importantly, alongside one another.
With love,
Lisa & Izzy
