MadLab, Manchester’s Digital Laboratory, are offering hot-desk and permanent desk space in their Northern Quarter building.

The Madlab is a community space for people who want to do and make interesting stuff – a place for geeks, artists, designers, illustrators, hackers, tinkerers, innovators and idle dreamers; an autonomous R&D laboratory and a release valve for Manchester’s creative communities.

If you’re interested in working in this exciting building in the middle of Manchester, contact office@madlab.org.uk for more information!

Over the last year, we’ve been running our space for freelancers and co-workers of various guises from the middle floor of MadLab, on Edge Street in the Northern Quarter of Manchester. It’s been great.

We’ve learned a lot about co-working in that time, but we have been struggling to secure the tenancy from permanent desk users that underpins our cash-flow. We need permanent desk users to keep running this space.

We’ve tried all sorts, but alas, our efforts have failed and despite offering discounts we’ve not managed to secure the number of permanent desk users to keep running the space further into 2011.

Therefore, we’ve reluctantly made the decision to cease running this co-working space in MadLab the next month or so. MadLab, however, will be continuing to use their 1st floor as a hot-desk or permanent desk space so if you’re keen on working in the Northern Quarter in the exciting environment of MadLab, contact office@madlab.org.uk to find out more.

This doesn’t mean the end of Fly The Coop, it just means we’ve lost our own home for a while. We’re holding an EGM on the 11th February, at which our members will decide what we do next. If you wish to attend and are not already a member, membership remains open to anybody who wishes to join.

If you thought the January sales had finished think again! Sign up for a permanent desk before 21 Jan and get £50 off your first month’s rent (normally £200 per month)!

You get to work amongst other freelancers and entrpreneurs in an exciting space and building (MadLab) with free teas and coffee’s! Being a co-working and collaboration space will present all sorts of opportunities to get and give help and to partner on exciting projects.

If you’re interested in a permanent desk with us you’re welcome to come in for a free day to see if our space suits you, so email info@flythe.coop to arrange your visit or to find out more.

We’re right in the heart of the Northern Quarter, on Edge Street opposite Common. The space is warm (good heating for winter!) and friendly with Wi-Fi. You’ll get a heads up on events happening in the same building as MadLab, a great space to network, learn and work.

Photo by Michael Connell

During these times of austerity and cuts, many people are being made redundant or are choosing to follow a new path and take a chance with a new career or idea. If you’re in that boat, FlyThe.Coop provides a great Co-Working and Collaborative environment for you to grow your idea or business.

Are you a freelancer or entrepreneur who has been working from home and wants a fresh start and a new environment to work in this year? FlyThe.Coop is an ideal space to work among other diverse and interesting freelancers and entreprenuers in Manchester’s Northern Quarter within 5 mins of Piccadilly Train and Bus Stations, and Victoria Station.

We want to make sure you have a Happy New Year!

We’re under capacity at the moment so we’re looking for 3 new Permanent Desk users to work alongside us in out Northern Quarter space.

A permanent desk is only £200 a month if you’re a member of our co-op (£1 membership) and £250 if you don’t want to be a member. You get to work amongst other freelancers and entrpreneurs in an exciting space and building (MadLab) with free teas & coffee’s!Being a Co-Working and Collaboration space will present all sorts of opportunities to get and give help and to partner on exciting projects.

If you’re interested in a permanent desk with us you’re welcome to come in for a free day to see if our space suits you, so email info@flythe.coop to arrange your visit or to find out more.

Creative Boom, a popular online magazine that aims to celebrate, inspire and support the creative industries throughout the UK has named FlyThe.Coop among the top 10 co-working spaces in the UK along with our friends Old Broadcasting House in Leeds.

Describing co-working they say:

Co-working is an emerging trend in the business world that puts collaboration and sharing at the forefront of its ethos. It allows small businesses and freelancers to come together and create a community where they can all benefit from one another, sharing the same values.

If you’re a small business or freelancer, why not come by and try FlyThe.Coop out?! Email ben@flythe.coop to let us know when you want to pop by.

It’s great to be noticed and praised!

Next Tuesday (23rd Nov) sees the UK’s National Freelancers Day, a day to celebrate the value of freelancers, contractors, interims and consultants to the UK economy.

FlyThe.Coop are offering 4 free Hot-Desks for the day to the first 4 people to email ben@flythe.coop.

Our space is open to freelancers and small businesses for co-working and collaboration so if you’ve never been to FlyThe.Coop before, now’s your chance for free!

After the success of BarCamp Manchester 3 in August, FlyThe.Coop is sponsoring the next BarCamp in Manchester on Sat 4th December 2010.

BarCamp is an unconference for digital and techy folk and will be taking over the MadLab building, as well as the FlyThe.Coop space.

See the BarCamp Manchester website for more details about the event. Unfortunately for you, all the tickets have been sold, but there is a WaitList so make sure you sign up to that…just in case!

All the good and great of the Manchester digitech scene will be there so you’d be mad to miss it!

TYOC is back!

The Year Of Collaboration, which last year set-up MPTweets and worked on a TheyWorkForYou type thing for Manchester City Council, is starting up again with a hack day this Saturday (12th June) from 11am at FlyThe.Coop (36-40 Edge Street, M4 1HN).

Come along with any ideas for things you’d like to collaborate on. You’re welcome whatever your skill level and experience. Some of us will be updating the MPTweets project with new accounts for the new North West MP’s. Some of us will be getting the website working again – tyoc.co.uk is down! But the general plan is to hack / build / create whatever people decide to do on the day.

Feel free to reply with any ideas you’d like attendees to consider building and feel even free-er to come along on Saturday!

WebUrbanist’s recent article on these super cool and sexy workstations point to a future where we’ll spend even more time on computers and the internet:

But it strikes me that these workstations are designed to keep you in them for long periods of time. This would limit the physical social interaction with the people working around you. One of the things I love about working in a shared co-working space is the random bursts of conversation now and then which either inform or amuse! I also like getting up from my desk to “re-boot” my brain and make a brew for everyone.

If these workstations are the future, then it will be a lonely one. No, co-working is far better! Work for yourself, not by yourself – come and work with us at FlyThe.Coop!