Frequently asked questions

Creative Isles Network is a directory and community platform for creative workspaces across the UK and Ireland - makerspaces, hackspaces, studios, workshops, and other spaces where people make things together.

We exist to help hubs find each other, share what works, and build a stronger sector together - and to make the whole network easy to discover in one place.

Yes, completely. Creating a member account, listing your hub, and posting events are all free. Creative Isles is a community-run project built to support the makerspace ecosystem, not to extract money from it.

Creative Isles is run by The Making Rooms, a makerspace in Blackburn. It grew out of a simple need: a decent, up-to-date list of UK creative spaces that was actually maintained by the people who run them.

A hub is any shared, physical creative workspace that's open to the public or community in some form. That includes:

• Makerspaces and hackspaces
• Fab labs and digital fabrication studios
• Artist studios with shared access
• Community workshops and tool libraries
• Repair cafes with a regular home

If you're unsure whether your space qualifies, get in touch - we'd rather include a borderline space than leave a good one off the map.

Anyone can create a free account - that gives you access to the member directory, resources, and your personal dashboard. Verified members have been confirmed by a network admin, which unlocks members-only content and signals to others that you're an active part of the community.

Verification is a quick manual check; most accounts are approved within a day or two of signing up.

Just create an account and we'll verify it manually. There's nothing extra you need to do - we check the queue regularly and verify new accounts as they come in. If you've been waiting more than a couple of days, drop us a message.

Yes. Contact us and we'll delete your account and associated data promptly. We don't hold you to anything.

Create a free account, then go to your dashboard and click "Add a hub". Fill in the details and submit - a network admin will review and verify it, usually within a couple of days.

Once verified your hub will appear on the directory and the map.

We seed the directory with publicly available data, so your space may already be there. To claim it, visit your hub's page and click "Claim this hub". We'll send a verification code to an email address associated with the space to confirm you're the right person.

Once claimed, you'll be able to edit all the details, post events, and manage your team.

Yes. The hub owner can invite collaborators from the hub's Team page. Collaborators get full edit access - they can update the listing, post events, and manage resources - without being the hub account owner.

Update your hub's operational status to "On hiatus" or "Closed" in the edit page. This keeps your history on the platform while making it clear to visitors that the space isn't currently active. If you'd prefer it removed entirely, let us know.

Log in and go to your hub's page - you'll see an "Edit details" link at the top if you're the owner or a collaborator. Changes are applied immediately. We'd love it if you kept things up to date; it's what makes the directory genuinely useful.

You need to manage (own or collaborate on) at least one hub to post events. From your dashboard, find your hub and click "+ Event", or go to your hub's page and use "Add event" in the sidebar. You can also post from the What's On page if you're logged in.

Yes. When creating or editing an event there's a "Booking link" field - paste in your Eventbrite, Ticket Tailor, or any other URL and it'll be surfaced on your event page. We don't try to replace your ticketing system, just help people find it.

Events are automatically filtered out of the "What's On" feed once their start date has passed. They stay in the system (so links don't break) but won't appear in the main listing. You can edit or delete past events from your hub's page.

Anything useful to other hubs and creative space operators. Popular types include:

• Document templates (membership forms, risk assessments, induction checklists)
• Guides (how to run a makerspace, grant-writing tips, equipment guides)
• Funding information (grants, funding bodies, application resources)
• Links to external tools, research, or useful reading

You can upload a file or link to something hosted elsewhere.

You choose when you upload. "Public" means anyone can see it, including visitors without an account. "Members only" restricts it to logged-in members. Pick whichever feels right for the content.