Part of the Meet New Mills project.
Neighbourhood Coworking: Meet Laura & Sam, the team behind New Mills’ friendly & popular coworking hub.
Name of business:
Neighbourhood Coworking
Where did the name come from?
We wanted to convey a feeling of community, somewhere local, a home from home. A type of “third place” – somewhere that wasn’t quite work and wasn’t quite home, but a fresh combo of the two that offered its own productivity and collaboration. Somewhere that you’re happy to spend time in, importantly.
What do you offer?
Essentially we offer the option to work near home – kill the commute! It’s a friendly, bright, welcoming space that will save you 2 hours a day stuck on trains or in traffic to Manchester, for example. Not to mention saving on the train fare.
We’ve found that some coworking spaces are just a desk and some headphones – we like to think we offer a bit more of a community than that.
We have regulars including architects, illustrators, PHD candidates, university workers, people working in sustainability – it’s a wide net and all are welcome.
We offer a variety of passes to suit everyone, too – from day passes to monthly memberships.
How many people are in your team?
It’s just us, Sam & Laura. (We also run Good Not Lucky Marketing).
How long have you been open?
Since September 2023 – we took over the lease in April 2023, just as our second son was about to be born! It was a very busy time as you can imagine – lots of painting and getting the space ready to open, while looking after a newborn and his brother.
Are you from New Mills?
[Laura] – I’m from Bramhall so not too far away.
[Sam] – I’m from Holmfirth and met Laura at Aston University.
[Laura] – we went to do a ski season in France and didn’t come back for 5 years!
[Sam] – after Covid, we ended up in the Heatons before moving across to New Mills around 2022.
[Laura] – especially during our time away, we worked in so many coworking spaces – which has given us the opportunity and experience to learn what works, and importantly what we would actually like to have in a coworking space. There’s a real thread of community in everything we do.
What do you like about having your business in New Mills/living in New Mills?
We love the community. You can walk down the street at any time and see people you know – everyone is friendly and welcoming. And the setting is incredible! You’re in the countryside but with all the frills of a town, and Manchester is only 30 minutes away.
It’s been lovely to see New Mills change in front of our eyes too – there are lots of new, fresh, young businesses coming in.
People really have pride in their town, as well.
Is there anything exciting going on at the moment?
We offer a £5 trial day for those interested – come and find out what we’re all about!
You can find Neighbourhood Coworking at 14 High Street, and at https://www.neighbourhoodco.work/, on Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/neighbourhoodcoworking/) and on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61556171704363 ).
