Westwerks

The Playroom is a serene and leafy space - perfect for dad and baby yoga with Fiona Tasker

We’ve kept our room hire costs down so that community groups and small businesses can afford them.

This means our event space users do a bit more legwork than they would if they were hiring a fancy space, say, at the Hilton Hotel.

That’s why, if you’re running a training event or workshop here, we recommend you bring someone to help you. Otherwise you could get distracted by letting people in, making the tea and so on.

Here are some tips to help you plan a cracking event at WestWerks.

Booking a room and a time slot

If you have some preferred dates and times,  please contact the Admin Staff at The Werks on 01273 900909 – they manage the WestWerks events diary. 

Briefing your guests beforehand

See Find us for useful info you can cull to brief participants visiting the building for the first time. Often people have problems finding us until they see the picture. Also parking on Portland Rd can be a pain first thing in the morning. So for a day event it’s worth asking people to arrive 8:30am instead of 9am.

Please tell them about the building’s security measures so they know why they can’t just walk in unaccompanied. We don’t yet have a buzzer through to the Play Room at the back so do give your guests a number to call you on so you can let them in.

The day before

Please call the reception of The Werks on 01273 900909 (9am – 5pm) in order to arrange the key collection. If you’re hosting a regular event, you can be a “keyholder”.

What’s provided and what to bring

• Play Room is where we hold yoga and meditation classes and training courses. It has
  • white board
  • good quality portable audio speakers you can plug into your mp3 player or laptop
  • 10 foldaway chairs
  • mats, blankets and cuscions
• Kitchen  upstairs has a kettle, fridge, microwave, crockery, water jugs, cafetieres
• Kitchen downstairs has a kettle, crockery, water jugs, cafetieres
• Four toilets – two downstairs and two on the first floor

What to bring with you….

• tea, coffee and milk
• buffet lunch – we recommend Cafe O for catering orders. See Local Shops and cafes we like
• whiteboard pens, flipchart pens and flipchart paper – the Post Office across the road is good
• a dongle if you need internet  in the Play Room- the wireless broadband can be iff at the back of the building.
• projector and screen – although you could project onto a wall or the white board in the Play Room.  The Resource Centre in Hanover or The Werks reception hire projectors out cheaply to community groups.

Security and letting guests in

This is an open space and we like all residents and guests to feel safe and secure here. So we ask all residents and space users to escort their own visitors into the building.

If you’re running an event with us, it’s your job to let participants in yourself. Please close both doors fully behind you. And instruct your visitors to do the same.

We suggest you put up a notice on the porch door with your phone number on it or the number people should buzz. Or even better, you could get a helper to meet and greet your guests at the door.

Need help on the day?

For a training event we advise you come an hour early to give you time to prepare the space and teas and coffees.

Cleaning up after yourself

Please be conscious that this is a shared space run by volunteers who have their own businesses to run too. It’s your job to wash your own pots after you’ve run an event here, and to clear the space back the way you found it. We have recycling bins in the upstairs kitchen.

If you’re considerate to other users, we’ll be delighted to welcome you back to run your events here. And  residents will be more likely to put the word out for you among their friends and business contacts.

Tell us how it went

We’ll be interested to hear your feedback on how your event went. Please contact The Werks Admin Team on infowestwerks@werkshop.org.uk

Paying your bill

You’ll receive an emailed invoice from Izabela, Account Manager, at Werkshop. She’s based at The Werks, 45 Church Road (Palmeira Square). You can pay by online banking. Or email her on Izabela@werkshop.org.uk or call her on 01273 900 909 to settle your account.

How useful was this tips page? Anything else you think we should add  – if so please email infowestwerks@werkshop.org.uk

What our visiting events hosts say

Fiona Tasker, yoga teacher says:

“I love using Westwerks for my yoga classes because it is a quiet, peaceful room with lovely views into the garden – which all helps people switch off and relax.

“It’s very comfortable with the carpet, good heating in the winter and lots of windows in the summer. And above all it is a friendly, community place with lots of interesting activities going on there and it feels special to be part of that.”