FlyThe.coop is a co-operative which aims to provide co-working spaces in Manchester. We formed out of the conversations and desires for a co-working space from members of GeekUp, NorthWestRubyUserGroup and other geeks in Manchester.

We’ve decided to start small so we’re going to be taking a space at Manchester Science Park large enough to comfortably fit 8 desks. Here is a picture of the space we want which is currently available (it looks quite dark but thats because it was so bright outside - camera exposure etc.!):

Four of these desks are already accounted for leaving two for permanent use and 2 for hot-desking. We are looking at ~£200pm for a permanent desk and we haven’t decided on hot-desking rates yet.

We’d like to fill the 2 permanent desks asap, preferably by the end of April. The space we want may go to another company anytime so we’d like to be able to commit to it as soon as we can, and we can’t do that unless we’ve got commitments on 6 of the desks. If you’re keen on becoming a member of FlyThe.Coop and having a permanent desk in our space, please get back to us at info@flythecoop.co.uk, first come first served!

It’s an exciting time to become part of FlyThe.Coop, we’d love to have you on board! If you’ve got any more questions just ask, we’d be glad to clear things up for you.

Here are some of the results from the survey we put out recently to gather feedback on what kind of space potential Fly The Coop users and members would like:

What features are important to you?

Which area would you most like Fly The Coop to be?

What part of Co-Working most appeals to you?

How would you like to use Fly The Coop?

How much do you think would be reasonable for Fly The Coop to charge?

What areas of business are you in?

Where do you currently work?

Over the last couple of month we have been collecting feedback on a survey we created to discover what kind of space people would like to co-work in.

Thanks to everyone who responded to our survey, we’ve got some great feedback.

At our last Fly The Coop members meeting we looked through the survey results and agreed on 4 criterea for a space:

• 1,200 - 1,500 ft sq.
• Manchester City Centre location (as close to Piccaddilly as possible)
• Private spaces are important to consider
• No serviced offices

Do you know anywhere which fits the bill? If so, please email us: info@flythecoop.co.uk

We are having a co-working day on Wednesday 26th November 2008.  Please sign up below if you would like to attent.

http://flythecoop.eventwax.com/co-working-day

The MEN have covered the co-working in the newspaper and online here.

Here’s a snippet:

Telecommuting is new way to get the job done

TECHNOLOGY entrepreneurs across Manchester are teaming up through an idea to change the way the industry works.

Manchester Digital Development Agency (MDDA) has been trying out the latest business trend of `telecommuting’ - bringing together like- minded people to work alongside each other and share knowledge.

After testing the idea for 18 months, a group of young businessmen are now taking steps to create a permanent co-working space at Manchester Science Park, and they want to roll the scheme out city wide.

Click here to read the rest of the article!

FlyTheCoop has been covered by CRAIN’S here.

Here’s a bit of the article:

‘Co-working’ area set up at Manchester Science Park

A permanent shared working space is to open at Manchester Science Park to encourage business collaboration.

Fly the Coop co-operative is being set up to lease space at the science park, which will be used as a dedicated co-working office.

“Co-working is aimed at people who are working at home as it provides the freedom they have at their home base while allowing social interaction with other like-minded people,” said Ben Gibbs, an associate at IT company Liquid Bronze based on the science park, who is involved in setting up the co-operative.

Read the rest here!