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East Essex Hackspace is a charity hackerspace in Hawkwell, Essex: a community-run workshop where people come to share tools and knowledge.

We provide metal, wood and 3D printing workshop facilities, a computer lab with an electronics workbench and a dedicated laser cutting room. There is also social/communal space with A/V equipment for meetings, lectures and workshops.

The building was originally a sports pavilion and has been provided by Rochford District Council with a lease until October 2027. Significant work was done throughout 2020 and 2021 by the Trustees and other volunteers to make it into a pleasant environment.

Membership and Subscriptions

Lifetime membership is just a one-off £5 and enables voting rights.

After membership is paid you can access the space with a monthly £10 subscription which can be cancelled/restarted anytime without having to repay the original £5 membership fee.

Subscriptions provide access to the workshops and all funds go to paying bills, buying consumables and the maintenance and purchase of equipment.

Why join & subscribe?

24/7 access - some restrictions on noisy tools - please remember our local residents!
Access to excellent workshop and meeting facilities, bookable for events, subject to Trustee approval
- Wood Workshop - well equipped for working in wood and other soft materials
- Metal Workshop - larger machine tools unlikely to be found in a typical hobbyist shed
- Computer Lab - general purpose computers but installed with special software for making, designing and learning
- 3D printer Lab - multiple printers for different tasks
- Two CO2 Laser cutters - powerful semi-professional machines
- Social/learning space - with decent A/V equipment and seating for up to twenty people
- Kitchen - refurbished with facilities to make hot drinks and warm snacks
- Free Internet access
Input to tool procurement with space funds.
Free/Reduced software for space machinery including:
- Lightburn Laser Software licence £16pa for use on space laser(Usually $90)
- (Coming soon!) Free access to VCarve Pro for use on space CNC
- Access to fully supported AutoCAD on space computers
- Access to SolidWorks on space computers

If you find yourself using the space and getting real value out of it, you can pay an optional additional contribution which we can, if you are eligible, claim gift aid on increasing your donation by 25%.

How to join & subscribe

If you're not sure, visit us on a Tuesday evening from around 8pm to get a workshop tour/induction & meet some of the members!

Join at http://checkout.eehack.space and pay your £5 lifetime membership

Get an induction (Tuesdays from 8pm!)

Subscribe at http://checkout.eehack.space and setup a £10pcm card payment.

Rules and code of conduct

The Hackspace has a small number of rules relating to the use of facilities, common to many similar organisations and while on-site (or using our virtual spaces such as Discord) we expect you to adhere to our code of conduct.

Failure to follow these will be handled by our grievance procedure. Membership of the Hackspace is 18+ only, unaccompanied children are not allowed on-site but as a community space, families are welcome so long as any children are supervised.

Online resources

The most active online discussion about the Hackspace is hosted on Discord but there is also a presence on Facebook and Twitter.

Editing of this Wiki is restricted to members of East Essex Hackspace, you can request an account on our Discord chat. Consult the User's Guide for information on using the wiki software.

Events and workshops

Tuesday evenings are set aside as an open night, social night and when the inductions for new members are conducted. Following the full opening of the Hackspace we are expecting to run more special events and workshops.

Location

East Essex Hackspace CIO
Hawkwell Pavilion
Park Gardens
Hockley
SS5 4HF
What 3 Words
Google Maps LocationLat:51.596974 Long:0.672686

How to get there

Parking

There is plenty of parking at the space for cars, the car park is free, but can be locked outside of park sociable hours of 9am to 4:30pm. We have keys for the gate should you get locked in. You are encouraged if you intend to leave later than 10pm to park outside the gates, they are very, very squeaky. Please respect our neighbours!

Cycling

We have no shower facilities, but we do have a cycle rack. There are very few cycle paths in our part of Essex, but several back roads and a bridle way from Hockley Station. Greater Anglia runs regular services (20 minutes off peak, 10 minutes on peak, 30 minutes at weekends).

Train

The nearest train station is Hockley and is served by Greater Anglia (sometimes even regularly). The station is within walking distance but there is a hill between the space and the station. Last train times:

HOC to LST Mon-Sat: 23:12, Sun: 23:06
HOC to SOV Mon-Sat: 01:41, Sun: 01:40

Taxi

Two Taxi Firms serve Hockley regularly -

Alpine (01702) 531531 which are based on the london bound station side and
Andrews (01702) 200200.

Accessibility

Effort has been made to keep the Hackspace accessible to those with reduced mobility.

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East Essex Hackspace is a Registered Charity No. 1190927. Registered as a Company limited by guarantee in England & Wales CE023644. Registered office at Park Gardens, Hockley, Essex SS5 4HF.