Maker Space

What Maker Space does

Maker Space is a community-owned and operated not-for-profit workshop located at 65 High Street, Gateshead (Newcastle upon Tyne area), United Kingdom. Founded in 2010, it provides shared access to fabrication tools and equipment including 3D printers (Prusa MK3, Bambu Lab P1S), an 80W CO2 laser cutter, a WorkBee CNC router, a metal lathe, woodworking and metalworking machinery, and electronics workstations. The organisation also operates a distinctive amateur radio infrastructure (DMR repeaters GB7MS and GB7XY, POCSAG paging MB7PNE, and LoRa APRS gateway MB7UMS) connected to BrandMeister, DAPNET, and APRS-IS networks, with a dedicated talk group (TG 23564) for the North East Makers community.

The core customer segments are individual makers, hobbyists, programmers, scientists, and engineers who lack access to expensive equipment at home, supplemented by general public visitors who attend Welcome Wednesday open evenings. The business model is a membership subscription at a minimum of £10 per month via monthly standing order, with no external investment, no cash payments, and a board of directors elected from the membership. The go-to-market approach is community-led and event-driven, relying on word-of-mouth, weekly visitor evenings, maker fairs, and regional event partnerships (Centre for Life, Gateshead Library, V&A, Crafts Council) for top-of-funnel acquisition.

Revenue is not disclosed but is reinvested entirely into space operations, tools, and consumables. Strategic activity has historically centred on physical expansion (the 2013 move to a five-times-larger facility in Newcastle City Centre), institutional partnerships, and the gradual buildout of amateur radio and digital infrastructure. The space closed due to COVID-19 in March 2020 and shifted to Matrix-based community communication during closure; current growth signals are insufficient to classify.

Name

Maker Space

Legal name

Maker Space

Website

https://makerspace.org.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

2010

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Maker Space is a community-owned, not-for-profit workshop in Newcastle/Gateshead, UK, providing individual makers shared access to fabrication tools, electronics, and amateur radio infrastructure via a minimum £10/month membership model.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Community Makerspace Services

akta.pro primary industry

Makerspaces & Fab Labs (Open Build Studios) (EDAMADAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

Crafts & Maker Arts (Ceramics, Textiles, Jewelry, Mixed Media) (EDAMAAAD), 3D Printing, CAD & Digital Fabrication Programs (EDAMADAH)

Keywords

• Community workshop
• Shared makerspace
• Hackerspace facilities
• Amateur radio infrastructure
• Maker community membership

Headquarters

HQ city

Newcastle Upon Tyne

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Infrastructure, Operations, Supply Chain, Others

Revenue model

1. Membership Subscriptions: Monthly standing order payments from members. Minimum subscription of £10/month, with members encouraged to pay more based on their usage of facilities. Not-for-profit organization where all revenue is reinvested in the space for basic costs, tools, and consumables.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

Maker Space is a community-owned and run workshop in Newcastle Upon Tyne providing members access to shared tools and equipment including 3D printers, laser cutter, CNC router, metal lathe, and woodworking machinery, along with collaborative workspace. The organization also operates amateur radio infrastructure (DMR repeaters, POCSAG paging, LoRa APRS gateway) serving the North East maker community. Access is provided via monthly membership subscriptions with weekly public visitor evenings.

Product overview

Maker Space is a community-owned and operated hackerspace/makerspace in Newcastle upon Tyne offering a physical workshop with shared tools and collaborative space. The core offering is the workshop itself, featuring 3D printing stations (Prusa MK3, Bambu Lab P1S printers), an 80W laser cutter (Hoshiguma), CNC routers and mills, metal and woodworking equipment, and electronics workstations. Maker Space also operates amateur radio services including DMR repeaters (GB7MS on 2m, GB7XY on 70cm), POCSAG paging (MB7PNE), and LoRa APRS gateway (MB7UMS), all connected to external amateur radio networks. Supporting digital services include a wiki (mdBook/GitHub), Matrix-based instant messaging, and a music server (Logitech Media Server). The primary access model is membership starting at £10/month with visitor nights on Wednesdays.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Maker Space Workshop Membership Core membership product providing makers access to shared workshop facilities, tools, equipment, and community of makers, creatives, programmers, scientists, and engineers in Newcastle upon Tyne.
• Welcome Wednesday Sessions Weekly public open nights (6:30pm-8:30pm Wednesdays) where visitors can tour the space, meet members, and see Maker Space activities without booking.
• 3D Printing Station FDM 3D printing service featuring Prusa MK3 and Bambu Lab P1S printers with filament available at £0.012/gram for member use.
• Laser Cutting Service 80W CO2 laser cutter (Hoshiguma) with 580x380mm bed, controlled via LightBurn software. Requires induction training before use.
• CNC Router Service Ooznest WorkBee Z1+ CNC milling machine with 1270x1270mm working area using DeWalt router. Requires induction.
• DMR Repeater GB7MS 2m digital voice repeater at 145.775 MHz connected to BrandMeister network, built with Motorola MTR 2000 and MMDVM processor.
• DMR Repeater GB7XY 70cm digital voice repeater at 439.4250 MHz using Motorola DR3000, featuring talk groups including TG 23564 for North East Makers.
• POCSAG Paging Service 439.9875 MHz paging transmitter using POCSAG protocol connected to DAPNET network, serving Newcastle and Gateshead area.
• LoRa APRS Gateway Experimental LoRa APRS gateway at 439.9125 MHz covering central Gateshead and Newcastle, supporting APRS-IS tunnelling and native AX25 payloads.

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration6 records

Feature6 records

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Crafts CouncilminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 October 2015Partnered with Crafts Council as part of Make:Shift:Do initiative for Spooky Makers Halloween event.
• Institute of MakingminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 October 2015Partnered with Institute of Making as part of Make:Shift:Do initiative for Spooky Makers Halloween event.
• V&A MuseumminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 October 2015Partnered with V&A Museum as part of Make:Shift:Do initiative for Spooky Makers Halloween event.
• Ultimaker GBminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 October 2015Partnered with Ultimaker GB as part of Make:Shift:Do initiative for Spooky Makers Halloween event.
• Gateshead Central LibrarycoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 September 2013Maker Space partnered with Gateshead Central Library for eDay technology show-and-tell events during the British Science Festival. The library lent equipment including Makey Makey boards and hosted Raspberry Pi workshops.
• Newbridge ProjectcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 May 2013Maker Space took over the bottom floor of the Newbridge Project artist's space in June 2013, providing approximately five times the space of their previous location. This partnership enabled the expansion to include workshop, quiet working areas, social space, and more facilities.
• Northumbria UniversityminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 May 2013Partnered with Northumbria University at Gateshead Library eDay event to provide Raspberry Pi workshops for pupils and teachers.
• Centre for LifecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 March 2013Maker Space partnered with Centre for Life to host Raspberry Jam evenings and participate in Maker Faire UK events. The Centre for Life venue hosted Maker Faire 2013 which saw over 10,000 attendees.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Broad incumbents

• Make Community (Make: Magazine): Organizer of Maker Faire events and publisher of Make: Magazine, serving as the central ecosystem brand for the maker movement. Comparable as an umbrella entity supporting makers and makerspaces, but operates at a much broader scale spanning events, media, and educational programs.
• Fab Foundation: Global non-profit organization supporting the Fab Lab network — a worldwide chain of digital fabrication workshops. Operates broadly in the same makerspace category as Maker Space but as a franchised network rather than a single community workshop.

Direct peers

• London Hackspace: UK-based community-owned hackerspace offering shared workshop tools and equipment for makers. Closely comparable community-led model, membership-based funding, and focus on shared tools and knowledge for makers, similar to Maker Space.
• Nottingham Hackspace (Nottinghack): UK community hackerspace providing shared workshop facilities, tools, and electronics equipment to members. Operates the same community-funded, member-governed model with recurring open evenings for prospective members.
• Swansea Hackspace: UK community hackerspace providing shared workshop space, tools, and equipment to members in Wales. Operates a directly comparable membership-driven, community-governed model to Maker Space.
• Cambridge Makespace: Cambridge-based community workshop offering shared tools, electronics, and maker facilities. Operates with a similar member-funded, community-led structure serving makers and hobbyists in a UK regional market.
• Bristol Hackspace: UK community hackerspace providing shared access to workshop tools, 3D printers, and electronics equipment. Comparable membership model and community-led governance structure for makers and hobbyists.
• Sheffield Hackspace: UK community hackerspace providing shared access to workshop tools, electronics, and creative equipment. Directly comparable member-funded model serving regional makers in the UK.
• Edinburgh Hacklab: Edinburgh-based community makerspace offering shared workshop facilities and equipment to members. Closely matches the community workshop model with similar tool offerings and membership-based access.
• MadLab (Manchester): Manchester-based community makerspace offering shared tools, electronics workstations, and workshop space for hobbyists and makers. Directly comparable community workshop model serving the maker/creative community in the UK.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/maker_space
• GitHubgithub.com/MakerSpaceNewcastle
• Facebookfacebook.com/makerspacenewcastle
• Instagraminstagram.com/maker_space_ncl

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Maker Space