TownSq — the power of community
Case study
Image: Wrexham Enterprise Hub
Town Square Spaces Ltd (TownSq) creates and supports entrepreneurial communities across the UK through the development of people and places. The business, a B Corp, was founded in 2017 by Gareth Jones and Mandy Weston who have championed entrepreneurship for over a decade.
Today, from their Caerphilly HQ, they operate or support 10 community-focused spaces in towns and regions across the UK. It began in Wrexham, meeting the need for a dedicated hub for local freelancers and small businesses…
Wrexham Enterprise Hub
Opening in May 2018, the Wrexham Enterprise Hub was a pioneering space for freelancers and small businesses. Transforming an old Iceland building in the town centre, it served as the flagship for a £4 million project to launch and grow enterprise spaces across Wales.
Long before Hollywood came to town, the Wrexham Enterprise Hub aimed to showcase what can be achieved when underused spaces were given a new purpose.
Image: Wrexham Enterprise Hub (© TownSq)
Operated by TownSq and funded by the European Regional Development Fund through the Welsh Government, the space created an environment where local people could start and grow their businesses.
In its five-year contract the support and workspace offered by the Hub boosted the local economy, created jobs and gave people a renewed sense of community, purpose and pride in their town.
In an impact report held after its first 2 years, members reported they walked to work more, spent more in their town centre, reduced their reliance on online outlets, gained confidence, developed new relationships and had a better perception of their hometown.
Carl Turner, Business Support Director for TownSq, said: “Whether it was having Google and MIT come to town to host workshops for local businesses, watching people start and grow enterprises or simply seeing high street trade boosted by increased footfall; having more people based in local spaces like the Hub, breathed new life into our town centres.”
“My town centre spend has increased - it has become more convenient. I’ve roughly reduced by Amazon spend by 30%.”
“There are no barriers, where you’re from, how you’re dressed, your accent - it doesn’t matter - we are valued as a community.”
— Quotes from users of the Wrexham Enterprise Hub
TownSq now operates spaces across the UK, from Barnstaple to Bognor Regis, creating communities of flex workers and entrepreneurs, and providing leading startup and small business support. Through its model of developing people, places and communities, it has shown that bringing people together can achieve lasting change.
Image: TownSq spaces in locations including Hereford (an old munitions factory), North Bicester (UK’s first eco-town), Islington, Tunbridge Wells (in a Grade II listed historic town hall), Rhyl (in a regenerated nightclub),
"Wrexham was our first space outside of our hometown of Caerphilly and served as the template for our future spaces across the UK. Our ethos of developing people, places and communities was pioneered here, and we’re proud of the impact it made."
— Carl Turner, Support Director, TownSq
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