Across the UK and Ireland, hundreds of makerspaces, hackspaces, ceramics studios, fab labs, and creative workshops are doing extraordinary things in their communities - connecting people, building skills, and keeping creative practice alive in places where it might otherwise disappear.
But for a long time, these spaces operated in isolation. The challenges they faced - funding, sustainability, community engagement - were shared, but the solutions weren't. Inspired by the success of the European Creative Hubs Network and the global mapping work of the British Council, we set out to change that.
Creative Isles Network is a joint project between The Making Rooms in Blackburn and Lancaster University, supported by UKRI and the Arts and Humanities Research Council. Our aim is simple: to build a connected, resilient, and collaborative ecosystem for creative spaces across the UK and Ireland - and to make it free and open to everyone.
