Co-Working Space - Available Now!

Find out at Monkey Park as it gets an artistic new look.

Words & Images: Dawn Anderson

These days lots of people, including me, work from home, loving the freedom from the commute to work, saving the time and feeling smug about not adding to the ozone layer with carbon emissions, but there are times, just sometimes, when that feels a bit lonely and almost isolating. I got a dog when my daughter went to university and he is great company, but his conversation is really limited. Woof is not the answer to everything! These days with increasing energy costs, it can be tempting to travel to a warm office too, but what if this was just on your doorstep and ready with a warm welcome?

Sitting in a café can be good, but costly to the pocket and the waistline, and inevitably there will be some distractions. You can’t really take a work call in a busy café, even if you could hear yourself you probably wouldn’t want others to hear you. This is where spaces such as co-working spaces come in. If you look online for co-working spaces there’s only one in Chesterfield, Monkey Park in Brampton. So, what exactly is a co-working space?

Simon Redding, one of the Directors from Monkey Park showed us around recently. The corner building on Chester Street was once home to a bathroom showroom and there are still quirky reminders of this, you can have a private space behind a shower screen or make a private call in a tiny nook. It is a light and airy space above the main hub of the social enterprise, designed to complement the workings below. There are desks that you can hire on a daily, weekly or membership basis for less than £5 per day (fully flexible membership) and superfast broadband and coffee and tea are included! There is also access to a meeting room if you need it.

It is important to note that it is so much more than a desk away from your home environment, it is an opportunity to have ‘work’ colleagues and a sense of community that you can access when it suits you.

“The space has been the home to a diverse range of individuals over the years.” Simon tells us, “Including freelancers and those running their own small businesses, but also students needing a space away from home to complete important coursework, ‘hybrid’ workers who didn’t want to commute to the office and even a photographer.”

We can see that it is an excellent space to get a few things done uninterrupted by the hubbub of life. The eclectic mix of people makes the space what it is, and there are plans to encourage the community spirit by offering activities such as nature walks and mindfulness. Monkey Park’s co-working space provides a chance to network and grow professionally. It is hoped that as the community grows there will be opportunities for people who use the space to showcase their work and also invite others in to cover topics that are common in all small businesses. The starting point is to build a bigger community in the space.

Local artist Lucie Maycock (Chesterfield’s Artist in Residence) has recently given the space a beautiful new look by adding murals to the walls. Keen to show off the new artwork and remind local people about the space, there is an open day on Friday 25 July from 2pm to 6pm. If you are interested in looking around, you can just pop along any time during these times and to see what the space offers and enjoy a glass of wine or a cuppa.

Space available on a daily, weekly or membership basis.

FB: chesterfieldmonkeypark

www.monkeypark.org.uk/work

Monkey Park

Chester Street

Brampton

S40 1DN