03 Mar 2016

About

We are Swindon Makerspace, a not-for-profit registered C.I.C. (Community Interest Company).  We like to break and make things.  Many different things – robots, aircraft, computers, electronics – anything goes.

Contact Us

We are located in Unit 34, BSS House, Cheney Manor, Swindon, SN2 2PJ. You can email us at info@swindon-makerspace.org or contact us on Twitter.

How we Began

Originally formed as the Swindon Hackspace in June 2012, as a weekly meeting for those interested in making, breaking, and fixing things.  Up until March 2016, we were hosted by the Museum of Computing, and had free use of the basement space.  However, our expansion was held back by the limited space available and no 24×7 access.

After nearly 4 years, we took the plunge and signed a lease on a dedicated industrial unit to allow our membership and tool base to grow.  We’re now working hard to make that space as functional and well featured as possible, whilst drawing in new members to make sure we’re sustainable.

What our Members Get Up To

Members work on a range of projects that usually involve electronic hardware, software programming, and mechanical assembly.

We encourage each other to run informal workshops on topics such as Solar Power, Laser Cutting, OpenSCAD, and 3D Printing.   We also run workshops for the public several times a year – check our Events calendar for details.

Weekly Open Night

We meet regularly on Wednesday evenings from around 6:30pm for our open and social evening – anyone that’s interested in visiting the space is welcome to come along and see what’s going on, your first visit is free. Generally there are members around for Saturday mornings between 10:00-13:00 if you prefer to visit us then, however this is not always guaranteed. You are always welcome to contact us before hand to check.

If you’re not quite ready for a full membership, there is a pay on the door option to use the space – it’s £5 for the evening, or for an entire day if escorted by another member (i.e. if you’re friends with an existing member).

You’re strongly encouraged to bring along works in progress, new and interesting hardware, or any other projects or shiny gadgets.  We love to help with other peoples projects (much easier than working on your own) and are more than happy to introduce you to the various tools.

The site has free parking, and we have free WiFi and tea/coffee facilities in the space.

Become a member

Full time memberships, with access to the space 24×7, are £25/month (concessions available), see our price table on the homepage. For details on what becoming a member involves please see our Membership Guide (Google Docs link). To join up, visit the space during our open night, where an online membership form is available.