All posts by Claire LeMaster

Launching Meanwhile in Oxfordshire

Makespace Oxford and partners have teamed up with local councils to launch a new £1.7m programme to breathe life back into high streets and urban centres across Oxfordshire, supporting our communities to bounce forward from COVID-19 over the next year. ‘Meanwhile in Oxfordshire…’ is unparalleled in its ambition, and the first in the UK of its kind. Over the […]

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The Community Works Mural

If you've been wondering who's responsible for that riotous pop of colour in Frideswide square, wonder no longer! It's a brilliant comissioned piece by local artist Nor to help bring some life back to the area and speak a little to the emotional toll of the last year, speaking to our need for connection, and the impact [...]
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Makespace Central is Open!

We are overjoyed to be able to finally announce that the Makespace Central building on Park End Street is officially fully operational AND we have managed to secure full occupancy, with residents due to properly move in once lockdown 3 is over! Over a year ago, bright eyed and bushy tailed, we signed a lease on the [...]
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Resident Interview: Zahra of Young Women’s Music Project

This month we hear from Zahra of the Young Women’s Music Project, a local charity that provides an inclusive, supportive space for young womxn to get together to make music, learn new skills, express themselves, and grow in confidence.  Zahra: The Young Women’s Music Project was founded by Kate Garrett in 2000 in response to inequality in […]

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Creating the change we want to see in the world, one empty building at a time.

The government and local authorities continute to search for answers to stem the tide of business closures in our city centres accelerated by the coronavirus. Makespace Board member and Transition By Design architect Andy Edwards reflects on his work in recent years and the process of transforming empty buildings into an opportunity to reimagine work and community [...]
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Makespace Oxford stands in solidarity with the Black Lives Matter movement. 

Makespace Oxford stands in solidarity with the Black Lives Matter movement.  We have taken time to reflect, take to the streets in solidarity, and consider how any collective statement might offer a meaningful declaration of our commitment towards the deep work and sustained action needed to carry us forwards. Racial injustice has strong roots in the colonial […]

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Makespace Returns

At Makespace Oxford we have always tried to create spaces that offer a community environment for socially conscious groups and organizations. We have prided ourselves on providing affordable spaces in Oxford by acquiring short term ‘meanwhile’ leases from landlords with empty property, refurbishing them and renting them to charities, businesses, artists and makers. Our efforts over the […]

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Makespace is a Year Old! Now… What Next?

This Saturday we had a fantastic time celebrating Makespace Oxford’s first birthday with many members of our networks and local community – and looking forward to another incredible year ahead! In just a year we have become a working home to over 30 purpose-driven local businesses, organisations and individuals, and had frequent community events attracting  over 2,000 […]

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