East Essex Hackspace

By donating money, volunteer time, equipment and skills, we enabled a community to develop a space for learning, creating and connecting.

Location

London, United Kingdom

At WSP, sustainability underpins everything we do, driving not only the way we work with our clients, but how we support the communities that we’re part of.

At the height of the Covid-19 pandemic in spring 2020, Tim Neobard (until recently an Associate Director in our Rail Planning and Controls team) was trying to find a way – together with friends and colleagues – to increase production of the face shields they had been making in his garage for local healthcare workers. Tim realised that East Essex, the area he lives in, could benefit from a hackspace.

A hackspace is a community-based workshop housing machinery, IT facilities and multiple rooms – a bit like a communal garden shed. Inside, people can design, build, craft, learn and socialise. Although there are around 70 nationwide, there were none in this part of Essex.

visitors in the first six months

1,500

regular visitors

350-500

members of the Facebook group

800+

Finding and renovating the space

Tim had previously identified a dilapidated sports pavilion at Clements Hall Recreation Ground in Hawkwell that was due to be knocked down. It had a leaky roof, fire damage and several resident rats, but he and the team thought it had potential. Supported by the council, local tradespeople, charities, volunteers and companies including WSP, they found the funds and people to renovate it.

Rochford Council offered the money that had been earmarked for demolishing the building to spend on fixing the roof instead. A professional handled the electrics, while Tim and five other volunteers plumbed, plastered, painted and fitted a commercial kitchen in their spare time – following social distancing rules. Others offered their skills for free, installing air conditioning, ventilation and heating. Electric roller shutters and a ramp were added to improve access for disabled users.

The building is being managed to make it as accessible as possible for everyone in the community. There are extra security features, gender neutral facilities and those using the space are inducted into the ethos that it’s a community for all.

Support from community and business

This initial burst of activity inspired others to get involved. Staff at the nearby airport did a sponsored ‘run the runway’ to raise money for heating units. The local junior parkrun, which uses the recreation ground, raised £1,500 – and now base its runs from the building, making use of its facilities.

WSP offered volunteer time, equipment and skills. The WSP Foundation provided £2,500 to purchase a milling machine, and further funds for a metalworking lathe. Employees were able to use their allocated volunteering days to help with the build and to raise money, and many gave their own time too. When Tim took on a running challenge in aid of the hackspace, WSP matched his sponsors’ pledges. And we supplied an initial eight laptops, with more to come – initially used by local schoolchildren during lockdowns, and now by hackspace users with disabilities.

I’m incredibly proud of how our staff actively engage and support their local communities, and the part that we play in supporting them with this. The active partnership we have established with East Essex Hackspace, through Tim, means we will be able to continue to support them as they expand their services in the community.

Matthew Haythornthwaite Chair, WSP Foundation

Matthew Haythornthwaite Chair, WSP Foundation

An inclusive resource

The hackspace is the ideal home for volunteer groups and charities – volunteers from REMAP use the equipment to create custom design solutions for disabled people, enabling them to live more independently. Many are referred by the NHS and the volunteers enjoy putting their engineering skills to good use.

It’s been a lifeline for many retirees – some of whom experienced severe social isolation during lockdowns, encouraging them to get out and make new friends. The local U3A group meets at the hackspace, offering lifelong learning opportunities for older residents.

For young people, there are children’s Minecraft coding sessions and the facility also hosts local scout groups. The hackspace prioritises attracting children from all backgrounds and offering an alternative to sports-based extra-curricular activities.

Opportunities for STEM (science, technology, engineering and maths) training and employment locally are not easy to come by and the hackspace is addressing this. WSP has given Tim time off to run workshops with the STEM ambassadorship programme, working with Canterbury University. Activities like rocket building have engaged students of all ages with STEM subjects.

A large team of volunteer educators teach CAD design, programming, 3D fabrication, woodworking, metalworking, cooking and sewing, offering free sessions for adults and children alike.

The East Essex Hackspace is fantastic and well managed. The space allows local people to meet, socialise and enjoy many activities together. I’d like to thank everyone who has brought this building back into use.

Cllr Julie Gooding Rochford District Council

Cllr Julie Gooding Rochford District Council

With so much on offer, the project has already received a string of awards for the impact it has had on the local community. These include a Pride of Essex ‘Heroes of the Pandemic’ award, the Community Spirit Citizen of the Year award for Tim Neobard from Rochford District Council and a Social Value Champion award for Tim in the 2022 Social Value Awards.