A Nottingham work and event space for community artists, freelancers and small businesses, The Carousel is a coworking venue that helps eradicate the loneliness associated with working from home. They were founded in 2019 after taking over the former Nottingham Writers Studio and have since evolved and expanded as the number of people working from home has grown since the pandemic.
What will you find there?
During the day you’ll find everyone from artists to remote workers to college students. A welcoming and diverse workspace provides spaces for different types of work. If you are an artist and need studio space; a hot desk worker or someone looking for a quiet space, they provide it all. As well as bottomless tea and coffee, a fully equipped kitchen and lockable storage spaces.
During the evenings, the studio transforms into a social space: hosting events like Messy Drink & Draw, Collage & Cocktails or similar community nights. Always championing creativity, they have exhibited the work of 104 artists; recorded over 89 hours of DJ sessions; organized three small festivals and produced street art projects. Also, as well as running events, they have supported creative people, having distributed over £18,000 to them.
eradicating loneliness
One of The Carousel’s main goals is to help eradicate the problem of loneliness associated with working from home. Mental Health Charity Mind recently found that 81% of those under 35 fear loneliness from working from home long-term. Likewise, another Monster study found that 69% of employees who worked from home experienced symptoms of burnout. Having the ability to work in a space filled with other like-minded people creates a happy and healthy community and work environment.
Community Work Day
Currently, The Carousel is funded through memberships. However, in line with the cost of living crisis, memberships are falling, meaning fewer people are able to access the workspace.
To help with this problem, The Carousel is organizing a Crowdfunding campaign (launching on February 25) to raise funds for a Community Work Day. This would mean free access to the facility one day a week, helping people struggling with working from home and the cost of living crisis. During this work day, people would have access to the carousel every Wednesday from 9-5, with the possibility of attending workshops on Wednesday nights. In addition to their crowdfunding campaign, the Co-operative Bank has pledged to match every donation, meaning what they raise will double.
You can get more information about the Crowdfunding Campaign through The Carousel’s Instagram