Potteries Hackspace

Annual General Meeting 2020 Updates

Sat, 19 Sep 2020 00:00:00 +0000

Hi all,

Following our Annual General Meeting for 2020 we have some updates.

Thanks to everyone who attended, we truly couldn’t have done it without you. You keep this going.

The Annual General Meetings were minuted and are available to any interested party on demand.

Highlights were:

Potteries Hackspace Activities for 2020 presentation
Although we are currently operating at a loss, an injection of cash should allow us to explore exciting new options
The organisation will continue to be chaired by James, with Paul as Treasurer, with support from Pete and Jib as officers (time permitting)
We have agreed to change our Open Nights to Wednesday
Due to coronavirus, we’ve not been attending our Open Nights. We’re going to relaunch them monthly, on the first Wednesday of every month
We’re also going to look at doing more online video call chat sessions, as a way to infill during lockdown
We’re going to explore how we can work with other groups on community projects

That’s all for now.

If you have any questions, feel free to get in touch on the mailing list.

Annual General Meeting 2020

Fri, 11 Sep 2020 00:00:00 +0000

Hi all,

Just a quick message to let you know that our Annual General Meeting is next week.

We’re calling a general meeting.

It’s a bit later than expected in the year mainly due to Coronavirus preventing our regular meetups.

It’s more important than ever because we have some exciting news that may affect the way we operate going forward and we’d like everyone’s input.

The general meeting is only open to paying members only from the prior 12 month period.

We must follow the government guidelines for meeting so you will need to let us know if you can and will attend.

Sorry, this will not be like our regular open night, there will be no hacking.

We’re looking at 7.30PM on Tuesday 15th September. If too many people can’t make it, we will rearrange.
We need at least 6 members for quorum, so please fill out this form if you intend on attending.
Meeting Agenda
If you have anything you would like to be mentioned in the meeting, please email the chairman or reach out on the mailing list.

See you there!

Thanks.

potterieshackspace.org.uk

Sun, 15 Sep 2019 00:00:00 +0000

Richard Smedley owned the potterieshackspace.org domain since around 2010, when the first meet up occurred.

Since then, Richard has had little direct involvement in the group, but always kept the domain registered and allowed us the exclusive use of it.

Unfortunately, in August we became aware that the domain name had been hijacked, and was unrecoverable.

So behold, we have a new domain: potterieshackspace.org.uk, kindly supplied by Phurix Web Hosting.

Thanks.

The Soapbox Cart Build

Sat, 30 Dec 2017 00:00:00 +0000

Back in June we took part in the “Stoke-on-Trent Soapbox Derby”.

Here’s a montage of the build:

Here’s the outline plan of the project:

Hope you enjoyed watching it as much as we enjoyed building it.

Have a great 2018!

Annual General Meeting 2017

Tue, 01 Aug 2017 00:00:00 +0000

Date/Time: Thus 17th Aug 2017, 7.00PM to 8.30PM
Venue: 50 Broad St, Hanley, Stoke on Trent, ST1 4EU.
Agenda: Potteries Hackspace - Meeting - AGM Agenda - 2017-08-17

Hi all,

Just a quick message to let you know that our Annual General Meeting is upon us.

Sorry it’s later than normal but we’ve been a bit busier than normal this year so the AGM ended up being delayed.

This will not be like our regular open night, there will be no hacking, instead, we’ll be having Pizza and drinks.

We need at least 6 members for quorum.

The meeting will follow the usual agenda…

Welcome (Chairman)
Apologies for absence (Secretary)
Minutes of previous AGM (Secretary)
Group activities report (Chairman)
Financial report (Treasurer)
Election of committee (Chairman)
Any Other Business

If you have anything you would like to be mentioned in the meeting, please email the chairman or reach out on the mailing lists.

Minutes of the meeting will be provided afterwards.

See you there!

Thanks.

Repair Cafe Stoke-on-Trent

Sat, 20 May 2017 00:00:00 +0000

Whether you have something that needs fixing or can volunteer to help, come down!

You are looking at the regions first repair cafe! You’ve asked for it and we have responded.

Wavemaker are teaming up with Potteries hack space we are proud to bring you our first Repair Cafe. Bring your broken, electronic items, toys, devices and anything that will challenge our team of super hackers and electronic wizards. Note, this isn’t a drop off facility, this to give advice and help you fix your gear.

The event is FREE and is kid friendly! Woop woop! So come and have a coffee and a mingle.

So, what are you doing on Saturday 27th May?

We’re hosting a restart party at the Mitchell Arts Centre Cafe, Hanley.

A Restart Party is a free community event where volunteers help people fix their own broken electricals and electronics, to save them from waste and change our relationship with electronics.

If you’re hoping to volunteer, please read the documentation on the Restart Party Project website:

Restart Party documentation

Also, if you want to know what to bring, please see our equipment list.

Our Repair Cafe is a free community event where you have the opportunity to fix your own broken devices and small appliances with the help of volunteers and experts.

You can not only learn more about how your devices work but also feel great that you are saving them from the scrap heap.

Come along and get involved!

Onwards and upwards for the Stoke Soapbox Derby

Tue, 18 Apr 2017 00:00:00 +0000

Over the last few weeks we’ve been putting together our plans to build a cart.

We entered our cart, “Kiln’ it” into the Redbull Soapbox Race.

Redbull asked us, in 100 words or less, why should they pick us? How will we bring the design to life on the course? Our answer:

We’re a bunch of hackers from the Potteries, Stoke-on-Trent. We’ve got creativity in our blood. Not only does this pose the engineering challenge of being the fastest down the course, we recognise the challenge to strive to make it the most ridiculous looking thing you’ve ever seen travelling down a hill. We think we’ve nailed that with our ‘Killer Kiln’. Meet Kiln’ it…

When they asked what materials we used, we said:

Plywood, bike parts, steel; blood sweat and tears.

Unfortunately, we didn’t quite make it in the running this year, they said:

We went searching for white-knuckle drivers and we found them, by the thousand. The standard this year was higher than it has ever been and we’re sorry to say that you just missed the cut. There was very little to separate the wacky racers and our scrutineers had some of the toughest decisions we’ve ever had to make here at Red Bull Soapbox Race Control. We want to thank you for the time and effort you put into your application and we hope that you will try again next time!

I guess they were afraid we might just win. Not to worry!

We have entered into the “Stoke-on-Trent Soapbox Derby”.

It’ll be on 4th June at 11am onwards at Hanley Park, Cleveland Road, Stoke-on-Trent, ST1 4DX.

Next: Steering.

We're building a soapbox cart!

Wed, 01 Mar 2017 00:00:00 +0000

We’ve signed up to the “Stoke-on-Trent Soapbox Derby”.

It’ll be on 4th June at 11am onwards at Hanley Park, Cleveland Road, Stoke-on-Trent, ST1 4DX.

We’ve come up with a name, a few designs and we have an idea for how it’s all actually going to work.

Next up: Wheels.

Tool up!

Thu, 05 Jan 2017 00:00:00 +0000

Hope you’ve all had a nice break over the festive period and are looking forward to the New Year ahead.

As you may know, we’ve moved the Hackspace to the city centre.

We’re now at:

50 Broad St, Hanley, Stoke on Trent, ST1 4EU

We’ve been here for a few months now and are pretty settled in now and we’re raring to go.

That’s the good news.

The bad news is, while we were were moving space, our equipment was in storage at a shared facility.

Much to our dismay, it seems that during this time, many of our tools and much of our equipment have unfortunately gone walkies.

In hindsight we should have been a bit less trusting and a bit more cautious.

So we now find ourselves in a new space with very few tools.

We are a not for profit volunteer organisation and community workshop in the heart of North Staffordshire, currently operating out of Hanley, Stoke-on-Trent.

We need your help

We are looking for people who would be interested to provide what they can for the greater good of the community.

Our space provides access for people to use tools, learn new skills and share their interests.

Equipment

3D Printer
Laser Cutter
CNC Milling Machine
Vacuum Former
Woodworking Lathe
Metalworking Lathe
Soldering Stations
Pillar Drill
Oscilloscope
Multimeters
Bench Power Supply
Bandsaw
Scroll saw
Chopsaw
Belt/Disc Sander
Hand drills

Tools

Screwdrivers
Screwdriver Bits
Clippers
Tweezers
Goggles
Gloves
Craft Knives
Antistatic
Soldering Iron Holder
Lighting
Files
Drill bits
Tarpaulin
Storage Boxes

Consumables

Solder
Desoldering braid
Flux Paste/liquid
Tape
Isoproponol Alcohol
Soldering Sponges
Wirewool Solder cleaner
Tip Cleaner
Glue
Paper
Pens
Screws/Rawlplugs/Nails

Can you help?

If you have or can acquire any of this stuff or know someone who can, please get in touch.

By sharing what you have, it will open up access to other tools you may need for your projects all under one roof.

Potteries Hackspace is a hackspace is a place for people with common interests, often in computers, technology, science or art, can meet, socialise and/or collaborate.

Our aim is to provide and maintain a shared community workspace and equipment, to further our skills and share experience with the community around Stoke-on-Trent and the wider Potteries area.

The best way to get involved is to become part of our community online and join the discussions on our mailing list. We’d love to get to know you, so the easiest way to get started is by introducing yourself to us on the Potteries Hackspace groups mailing list.

Renew Your Membership

Sun, 15 May 2016 10:00:19 +0000

Hi all,

We’d like to share with you the current situation for Potteries Hackspace membership subscriptions and how we have arrived at an annual based model for basic membership with a monthly opt-in for full access to the space.

In our recent meetings, we’ve reviewed our budget for the coming year and put forward a proposal that reflects the changing needs and wants of the group.

There was also a problem identified in that there are a number of interested people who want to contribute to or support the Potteries Hackspace organisation but may not require space.

The proposed solution is to have a basic membership option without any benefits of a space.

Potteries Hackspace has evolved since we moved out of the former Newcastle-under-Lyme based garage space in 2015. Our initial reaction to moving out was to try and find a similar space, but having searched high and low, we’ve struggled to find a space like that within our budget.

Our budget depends entirely on the number of active members we have and how much they are prepared to pay each month.

To align the cost of a new space, a decision was made in December 2015 to put the recommended membership up to £25 per month, however a number of members were reluctant to pay this while there was no space. This decision, although voted in, ended up dividing opinion amongst members.

In February 2016 we began meeting up on a regular basis again, having found temporary space to do so in Hanley, and a proposal has been made to bring more structure to our regular meetups, with the focus on us as a group rather than on the space where we meet.

Since doing this, we’re seeing a number of new members join us and we are going from strength to strength again.

Given the shift in focus, it seemed unfair to ask people to pay for a space that we don’t have in order to become Potteries Hackspace members, and so the suggestion was put forward to either temporarily stop subscriptions or to switch them from monthly to yearly, during this period of flux.

Introducing yearly membership

After discussing it with all the members at a meeting, we came up with a proposal introducing yearly membership:

As of year starting May 1st 2016, all membership subscriptions are renewable per annum.

The minimum annual subscription is £24, pro rata for a membership starting after May 31st.

The annual subscription model allows for those members who did not wish to pay the previously set monthly minimum but who did still want to make a financial contribution.

This proposal succeeded and a decision was made as of April 10, 2016 via our online OneClickOrgs voting system.

If you’re already a member, it’s time to renew.

Please pay your annual (minimum £24) subscription fee now!

Since that decision was made on April 10, we found a new space, which brought to question how we were going to sustainably afford it.

New Membership Fee Proposal for Space

After speaking to a number of members and making observations, we’ve found that there are two types of members:

Those that want to be part of the organisation
Those that want to have and use the space as well

Therefore, this proposal will cater for both of those scenarios, by offering two types of memberships:

Basic membership
Advanced membership

The “Basic membership” will be at a cost of £24 per year, as per the existing proposal.

This will give a member the access to our private members only mailing list and resources, vote at meetings or virtually, access to special offers, discounts and cheap rates, opportunity to attend meetups, events and workshops, can attend the members meetings and be elected on to the Management Committee.

The “Basic membership” will not permit a member to have storage space, use of tools or equipment, 24 hour access to the space, wifi access and use of consumables (without a donation).

Members that want use of the space, tools, equipment and storage space will subscribe to an “Advanced membership”, at a recommended fee of £20 per month.

This will give a member use of the tools and equipment, 24 hour access to the space, WiFi Internet access, use of shared components, consumables, donated items including tea and coffee. Members paying the monthly rate will be allocated a 35L storage box.

Keeping a space clean and tidy is hard work and space soon becomes a premium. Additional space will be at a cost of £1 per sq ft per month (minimum of £5 per month).

We aim to monitor use of consumables and services, in order to keep track of usage and ensure stock is reordered when needed. If a member is found to be using more than they are putting in, they will be asked to increase their payments.