Words by Smiley Team
As a start-up community project or enterprise, finding an affordable workspace in the capital is almost impossible.
High rents mean friendly places in London with fast, reliable internet access, where you could hold a first board meeting or meet with the people you want to help are in short supply.
It’s a problem that brothers Hugh and Ian Hudson saw was exacerbated massively by the pandemic.
The pair run the Finsbury Business Centre (FBC), a coworking and office space in Clerkenwell, central London, which was set up in a former printworks by their father in 1983.
Ian explained: “Over the last year we have struggled hugely with the impact of Covid-19, which has deeply affected us and fragile businesses in our building.
“It has been truly heartbreaking to witness the detrimental effects on people’s livelihoods, and many companies have gone into bankruptcy, made staff redundancies and moved out of FBC.”
At the same time, the brothers were approached by several grassroots organisations, including charities and community projects, who needed space for meetings, office work and training.
In response, they decided to found Affordable Workplace, a community interest company, with the goal of providing heavily subsidised workspace within the business centre for the groups who need it most.
Workspace is available for long term lets, as well as space one-off events like meetings or welcome dinners, once Covid restrictions allow.
Ian said: “We received several contacts from grassroots organisations, community-based and charitable groups, plus impoverished entrepreneurs who are desperate for space to use, however cannot afford traditional office costs.
“As a family business, we have always been altruistic and philanthropic in our outlook. We have a vision to provide a charitable and community-centric hub, offering space for free or at genuinely affordable prices, thereby enabling the local community, small businesses and entrepreneurs to thrive.”
One start-up who have benefited from the Affordable Workplace model are Mer-IT, a fellow community interest company who refurbish computers that would otherwise end up in landfill and put them back into the community by donating them to charity projects, schools and to isolated and vulnerable people.
Mer-IT founder Mercedes Oli said: “We are thrilled to have been given the opportunity to be based at FBC. They have provided us with a fabulous office for a heavily subsidised price, with a view that our work here is hugely important and valuable to the local community at large.”
To find out more about Affordable Workplace visit the Finsbury Business Centre website or follow them on Twitter.
