Rejoicing in Ripon : Ripon’s first co-working hub is searching for a permanent home
Work better, feel connected and find your community, is the clear message from two entrepreneurial businesswomen who launched Ripon’s first co-working initiative in October.
Katie Reeves and Sarah Lewis, the dual driving force behind Medley Ripon, are now looking for a permanent city centre home for their venture, as they await the outcome of the application that they made to the Vibrant and Sustainable High Streets Fund.
Both the need for and effectiveness of Medley’s co-working model has been proved through sessions held at Ripon Inn, Oliver’s Pantry, The Old Deanery and latterly, The Portly Pig.
Over the past five months the venues have each provided space and facilities for steadily-increasing numbers of freelancers, owners of small businesses, sole traders and remote workers wanting to be part of the city’s newest business community.
Katie, told Tim Flanagan of the Rejoicing in Ripon blog:
“There is clearly a need, as growing numbers of people who work from home are realising the benefits of the social interaction that comes from being alongside other human beings, perhaps for just a few hours a week.”
Overcoming isolation
This is certainly the case for former teacher Alex Knill, who now divides his time between providing private tuition for students studying A Level biology and being a manager for the Duke of Edinburgh Award programme.
He said: “A lot of the work that I do can be carried out on a laptop and mobile phone, but I realised that working in isolation from my home day in, day out, was not good for my mental health and wellbeing.”
Alex added:
“I began searching for co-working opportunities and was pleased to read on social media about the setting up of Medley Ripon and quickly discovered that the hub’s welcoming sessions and mixture of like-minded people are just what I was looking for.”
For life coach and virtual assistant Kitti Johnson most clients are based more than 100 miles from Ripon and dealings with them are handled remotely.
She pointed out: “I was, at times, feeling very isolated working from home and having a change of surroundings provided by Medley has come like a breath of fresh air that I look forward to one day a week.
Meeting with other people and hearing them speaking about their own businesses is a refreshing experience.”
Depending on funding, the sessions will resume in mid-April after the Easter holidays and in the meantime, Medley Ripon’s search for a place to call its own will continue.
Sarah, said:
“A mentor who has been helping us said that finding the right premises is key to setting up a co-working space, but to make this reality we need to secure the necessary funding.
“We are hopeful, because we put together a strong bid and have great partners in Ripon BID, Little Bird Markets and the marketing agency Triple Crow Digital.”
Ripon BID manager Lilla Bathurst, said: “We believe that Medley Ripon has the credentials to merit financial support from the Vibrant and Sustainable High Streets Fund operated by the York and North Yorkshire combined authority and we hope that Katie and Sarah can find the city centre premises that they need.”
For further information contact https://www.medleyripon.co.uk/
.The Portly Pig is among the locations where Medley Ripon has been holding its co-worker sessions and pictured in the upstairs lounge at the Kirkgate hostelry are founders of the initiative, Sarah Lewis (front right) and behind her Katie Reeves. Also pictured are Kitti Johnson and Alex Knill.
