Our Aims and objectives
We've been trying to tackle rural isolation and provide a future based on Craft, Design, and Technology for the community of Monmouth since 2017, here's why we think this is so important.
We want to create a space that is welcoming for everyone .
Our original aim was to find people that were like-minded, and provide a space for them to work on their hobbies and other projects that wasn’t their spare room, home office, or garden shed.
Now we want to take that idea and grow it.
So what?
Imagine a space in the heart of Monmouth Town that is open to members 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year, fully equipped with everything from sewing machines and soldering irons for basic household repairs through to laser-cutters, 3D printers, and CNC Machines to create product prototypes, with a membership structure that enables anyone to join regardless of their financial position.
Imagine that same building containing a co-working space - based on the same principles of social inclusion and community spirit - with members of the co-working space able to access all the tools in the makerspace to enhance their products and develop their offerings to clients, supporting the makerspace and enabling us to keep our membership prices affordable whilst still being able to buy new equipment.
Now let’s take that idea further still - in the atrium of the building is a space for those same startups and members of the makerspace to sell their products from stalls that are a fraction of the rents required for a full unit. The market place is there to support you and your business until you outgrow it and can move into a unit on the high street of your own, reducing the number of empty shops, increasing footfall, and providing a “destination town” for people interested in supporting independent businesses.
What if…
The cherry on the top? Education.
We want to run regular workshops to teach the local community new skills. We want to engage with local VI Form colleges and centres to provide support to those students who are looking to a career path that is not university - the ones who are already coding the next generation of computer games in their bedrooms, or designing the approaches to sustainability that are obvious to them but that the world is yet to realise.
We are Make Monmouth. We are determined to build on the past to ensure a better future for our town. We know our dreams can become a reality, and we’d love you to be a part of it.
If you want to know more, join our Facebook group and come along to our next Open Night - we can’t wait to meet you!