Makespace Oxfordshire

A group of people chopping vegetables on tressle tables in the 9 Park End Street common room

🚨 Want to be part of a different kind of workspace? 🌱 The type where you can build connections & community over a shared lunch. We have an open house at 9 Park End Street tomorrow! Drop in 10am-12pm or 3-5pm to take a look at upcoming spaces. Email alex@makespaceoxford.org with any questions

A group of women planting bulbs

A planter full of daffodils

We planted these bulbs at The Source with the IWAW crew and now they're coming up! Want to be part of the community at this central Oxford hub? We currently have fixed desks available, either full time or part time. Fill in the application form in bio or email sarah@makespaceoxford.org

People browsing stalls at an indoor market

A view of stalls at a market

A couple talking to a stallholder at a market

Thanks to everyone who came to our spring market at the weekend. We loved seeing y'all, introducing new folks to the space &sharing info as well as exchanging goods.

Save the date for our summer market: 21st June. Watch this space for info on how to apply. Or just show up & soak up the vibes.

and neighbours who’ll cheer your wins, and lend you the charging cable you left at home.

Rooms and coworking space available now. Fancy a look? Register your interest via the form in our bio or comment or DM if you need more details on how to apply.

Two women working on a weaving project, sitting in The Old Stables' community garden

A woman sitting at a desk by the window, writing notes

People queuing and sitting at tables in The Old Stables community cafe

Looking for a workspace that feels like a community, not just a place to grind away at your latest project? Join us at The Old Stables in Wantage.

Move in and you’ll be part of a friendly, creative community. You’ll find buddies to join you for afternoon tea and cake in the onsite community cafe

🌠 Dark Matter: Redesigning our systems, contracts and relationships and examining the values, cultures and beliefs that underpin them.

💭 Dream space: Curating spaces for dreaming and creativity, building infrastructures for imagination.

You can learn more about this work in our refounding blog

impact. Others, like shifting structural power dynamics, demand long-term collaboration, persistence and space for collective hope and dreaming.

So we think about our spheres of action as:

🌱 Grounded space: Building welcoming and liberatory spaces and places to live, work, play and organise.

A graphic showing the "grounded space" with an illustration of a building next to a canal, with the "dream space" above it

At Makespace, we talk about the three spheres of change in our work. In order to affect everyday reality, we have to transform the dark matter, and to affect that, in the words of John La Rose, "we first have to dream it."

Some tools available to us, like meanwhile use, offer immediate visible

A square graphic with a bold floral design advertising the spring market, including the date, time, and location

Don't forget our early spring market THIS SUNDAY 🌱 ☀️ 🪻

We'll have stalls from local artists and makers, growing and sustainability info, seasonal crafts, baked goods, and refreshments. Plus you could pop to The Anchor for a roast after!

📍 Aristotle House, 1 Aristotle Lane
🗓️ 22nd Feb, 11am to 3pm

Offices & studios at 9 PArk end st open house flyer

We're running open house sessions at 9 Park End Street. If you're a maker, artist, nonprofit, or org for social, cultural, or environmental good, we'd love to see you.

Join us on 3rd or 11th March between 10am & 12pm or 3pm & 5pm.

Fill in the form to let us know you're coming buff.ly/KUAYoqW

🛠️ Got something broken at home? Don’t bin it, fix it!
Join us at the #repaircafe this Sunday, 2–5pm!

🎟️ Last bike repair, sewing and sharpening slots open – book now:
🌐 shareoxford.org/repair

📍 @makespaceoxford.bsky.social

Let’s reduce waste, learn new skills, and build community 💚

five years. It now houses over 35 individuals & orgs making a social, cultural or environmental impact.

While we’re dedicated to more than unlocking buildings, people having access to the safer spaces they need to live happy, healthy, creative & connected lives is a big part of spatial justice.

A historic photo of Hayfield Road coal wharf

Aristotle House in the 1970s

Aristotle House today

Did you know that our original hub at Aristotle Lane was the site of a coal wharf from the 1700s? Aristotle House itself started its life as a builder’s merchants in the 1960s and was subsequently home to Oxford Designers & Illustrators.

When Makespace took the building on, it had been empty for

Creative peer group session flyer

We've got one more edition of our creative peer group session coming up. It's a chance for people using the creative arts for social impact to share knowledge and build relationships.

🗓️ 23 Feb, 10:30am to 12pm
📍 1 Aristotle Lane, Oxford

Book your free space - you know where to go

A small office with a desk, a computer monitor, and decorations on the wall

An office with two desks and large monitors

A large office space

📍 Wantage/Vale folks — this one’s for you 👇
We have three rooms coming up in our Wantage hub, The Old Stables on a sliding scale to support individuals & orgs making a positive social, cultural, or environmental impact.

Express your interest: buff.ly/cmLkc9T

Questions: info@makespaceoxford.org

A group of people at a table, one ladling soup from a pot

People sitting at a table chopping

Soup being ladled into bowls

At Makespace Oxfordshire, we build community through space. We create an environment where there's an emphasis on mutual support and sharing of skills and knowledge between our residents.... and sometimes we just get together to make soup! 🍲

A poster reading "Save the date. Spring Market. Local artists & makers. Growing & sustainability info. Refreshments. Bakes. Spring crafts. 11am-3pm. Feb 22 2026. 1 Aristotle Lane, Oxford." It has a bold floral graphic along with the text

We're starting a new series of seasonal markets at our Aristotle Lane hub, featuring local artists, makers, and growers. Save the date for the first one on 22nd February. Hope to see you there! 🌱 ✨

Join the Makespace community graphic

Graphic showing photo of private room available in central Oxford

Graphic showing a workshop/studio available in central Oxford

Graphic showing offices available in Wantage

📣 Want to join the Makespace community? 🌱

We have a range of private rooms and coworking desks available, with priority given to organisations and individuals with a positive social impact.

Fill in this form and someone will be in touch if it's a good fit: buff.ly/cmLkc9T

SHARE Oxford (@shareoxford.bsky.social) A grassroot community library of things of people who want to prevent waste, borrow instead of buying, save money, learn new skills and make new friends!

Find them at bsky.app/profile/shar...

Our office along with use of the gallery space is a cost-effective way of getting space for the different things we do. And as we grow & the Makespace Community scales around us, it’s a fantastic way of staying in touch with others, meeting potential partners for collaboration, & being inspired

Reuse: we keep in touch with lots of local groups who could make use of people’s unwanted stuff, such as Getting Oxfordshire Online taking donations of unwanted laptops to pass to people in need. Check out our website or get in touch if you’re stumped on how to pass on stuff you don’t want.

Repairing: to help people save stuff from the bin, our monthly repair cafés match up guests with expert volunteers to help with sewing and darning, electrical and mechanical repairs, bike maintenance, tool sharpening and more.

Sharing: We run a Library of Things, where people can hire things they don’t need often, such as for parties, DIY projects, big garden projects or deep cleans of your house. We're based in Makespace Aristotle Lane and offer bike delivery across Oxford with an online catalogue and booking.

A man standing next to a SHARE Oxford banner

Two people standing next to a shed

Two people fixing laptops

🚨 Resident spotlight time 🚨

We caught up with SHARE Oxford, a longtime resident at Aristotle Lane. SHARE is a small charity and member of Community Action Groups Oxfordshire dedicated to saving waste through sharing, repairing and reuse.

Here's what they had to say...

A Fairisle knit jumper with a visibly mended hole in red yarn

Learn the art of visible mending with & repair your own jumper with wool in a contrasting colour. Bring new life to old clothes, turning a rip or hole into a feature. Bring your own jumper! Rosie Leech is running this workshop at our Oxford Aristotle Lane hub.

🗓️ 22 Jay, 6-8pm
🎟️ buff.ly/izV60dL

A picture of two people in hardhats with the caption "Unlock: We unlock empty or underused land and buildings with communities, working towards a future where they're owned and managed by local citizens."

Photo of a woman posing for the camera with the caption "Build capacity: We support residents and local communities to have access to the skills, tools and resources they need to resist, develop, grow and thrive."

Photo of four people in discussion with the caption "Influence: We aim to affect change across the wider system, challenging the conditions that cause vacancy and displacement, amplifying voices and co-creating stewardship that prioritise community benefit."

Photo of people posing in front of raised bed with the caption "Transform: Through collective imagination, research and innovation, we aim to transform places and systems, rewriting the rules so that communities can shape a more equitable future, bringing spatial justice to life."

Our missions 🔓 💪 📣 🌱 ✨

Check out our Who's Funding System Change in Oxfordshire blog post here: buff.ly/R0mct6T

Who’s funding system change in Oxfordshire? The urgent call for deep, long term investment in neighbourhood transformation

Across the country, we see experiments in regenerative economics, civic endowments & community stewardship that prove system change is not an abstract idea. The challenge is immense, but so is the opportunity to create neighbourhoods, towns & cities that are healthy, thriving, just spaces for all.

A room with white walls, wooden floorboards, and a black metal fireplace

A hallway with period mouldings

A kitchenette under a brick archway

🚨We have spaces in central Oxford🚨

Two studio/office spaces will be available in our Makespace Central hub from mid-February. This is a gorgeous period building with a cute shared kitchenette, and bright rooms with original floorboards.

Interested? Fill in the application form in our bio

Brought to you by Promoting Economic Pluralism in partnership with Makespace Oxfordshire as part of the Reclaim the Economy week organised by the Wellbeing Economy Alliance.