The Community Craft Hub Project

The story of our ‘Shed’: the Community Craft Hub so far, from initial idea to getting the project under way on the Old Racecourse Park in Derby.

  • It all Started in a Pub!

    It all Started in a Pub!

    In November 2024 four guys met in a pub to discuss the prospect of setting up a local shedding group – By January 2025 we had found a temporary location and held our inaugural meeting – 12 interested folks turned up and we immediately got a huge boost by a donation from the local Counsellors Matt, Freya and Jamie. Oakwood Neighbours Shed was born ! At that time we met in local community rooms and our workshop activities were restricted to whatever we could fit on a few occasions wherever we could find space. It became very clear that we…

  • The Search for a Home

    So the Search began in earnest to find a permanent location we could use for meetings and build up our workshop, and after several false starts we were offered s piece of ground behind the changing rooms at Leisure United – a recently completed football facility on Derby’s Racecourse Park. Of course, nothing comes with out paperwork ! and we spent several months negotiating a licence for the site and planning permission. This being a public park meant we also had to complete Biometric surveys, archaeologists report, health and safety, a contaminated land report, flooding assessment and plan. These in…

    The Search for a Home
  • Phase One – ‘Base Camp’

    Phase One – ‘Base Camp’

    A workshop in a shipping container One Morning in April ….. The shedders set our to make 4 concrete plinths for our shipping container to sit on – this was the preparatory step to the delivery of our container workshop “base camp” after a weekend of digging, levelling and casting we had a solid base ready for the delivery of the shipping container a couple of weeks later. Being the Shedders – of course we were not satisfied with a basic concrete block so we tried to cast it with an imprint of our Logo. PREVIOUS NEXT

  • Phase Two – Fit out Base Camp and Build a Fence

    Now we had our Base Camp empty shipping container – this had to be fitted out as an operational workshop lining the whole thing with OSB boarding, adding electrical connections and benches, while round the overall area we inserted a security Fence. Members pitched in to do the work and bring their own skills and specialisms to the project. Joinery, electrical fitting out etc. We are already a group blessed with a number of members who have contributed their time and expertise to the project. At last the big day came and we were ready to open our new shed…

    Phase Two – Fit out Base Camp and Build a Fence
  • Phase Three – Create Hub One – in progress

    Phase Three – Create Hub One – in progress

    So this brings us up to the present day – as you can see from our road map we are adding “Hub One” – this will serve as a “club house area with work stations for more sedentary activities like soldering and detailed work which is not so compatible with the sawdust of the container workshop. Phase Three is going to take an estimated further six months as more paperwork and funding is completed ahead of the final build. In the mean time we have added a temporary “tent workshop”which will give us space to store wood and items we…

  • Phase Four – Create Hub Two – planned

    Our next step will be to create “Hub Two” Another 5 metre x 5 metre unit which will sit opposite the gate area of the Craft Hub space. With garage style doors this will be a space for our more ambitious and larger scale works. This hub will also contain more permanent equipment, such as a pillar drill, band saw, lathe and so on. When both hubs are in place, the space between them will be a paved area, with a pergola over, which can have a covering so that it can be used as a work, sitting out or…

    Phase Four – Create Hub Two – planned
  • Phase Five – Further Development

    Phase Five – Further Development

    Our final phase moves the shed group out into the future, enhancing our capabilities and supplying additional utilities and equipment as time and funds permit. For example, we’ve got plans for a ‘nature wetland’ at the rear of one of the hubs, fed by rainwater from one of the hub roofs, as well as making the future running of the hubs more sustainable going forward (using solar power etc.) PREVIOUS BACK TO START