Our Year in Review: 2025 at Spaceworks

2025 was a milestone year for Spaceworks as we marked forty years of supporting people to start and grow their work close to home. We welcomed new tenants across our sites, introduced a new Chair and continued investing in the places where workspace has the biggest impact. 

As we head into 2026, our mission stays the same, to provide affordable, flexible and community focused space for the people who need it.

A Changing Landscape for Small Businesses

2025 was shaped by a sense of uncertainty. Across the country, many small businesses expected a tougher year, and economic confidence felt fragile.

Inside our centres, the picture was more hopeful. We saw founders refining new ideas, charities expanding their support, and teams taking on new staff. Progress did not stall, rather it shifted.

When the wider landscape feels unpredictable, having a stable, supportive place to work becomes even more important.  This year reinforced something we see time and again. A good environment gives businesses room to breathe, steady themselves and keep moving forward.

Celebrating 40 Years of Spaceworks

This year marked a milestone for Spaceworks. For four decades we have been creating affordable, flexible workspace in the parts of Bristol where it is needed most. 

The origins of Spaceworks were simple. Too many people with talent, ambition and strong ideas could not access the kind of space that would allow them to begin.

That founding purpose has stayed with us. We continue to choose locations where workspace can have the greatest impact. We focus on affordability so that people can take their first step without unnecessary risk. We prioritise community because the support of the people around you matters just as much as the space you rent.

Across 2025, this mission came to life daily. Our customers shared knowledge, made introductions, asked for help, and offered it in return. Creatives, charities, start-ups and growing teams shaped the culture of each centre in their own way.

This was also the year we launched our first incubator scheme at the Old Co-op in BS5. The early years of running a business can be demanding, and the right environment can make a real difference. The incubator is a highly subsidised programme offering dedicated desks, shared facilities and tailored support. It is a small and focused initiative, with room for just three founders, designed to give people the breathing room they need to develop their ideas with confidence. With all our desks now filled, it has already shown how strong the need is for supportive, affordable early-stage workspace. It stands as a natural extension of our mission to ensure opportunity is open to all.

Forty years on, Spaceworks remains a place where people come not only for space, but for community, encouragement and the chance to grow close to home.

Welcoming New Businesses and a New Chair

This year we welcomed a wide range of new organisations into the Spaceworks community. From first time office users taking their earliest steps, to charities seeking a dependable home, to established teams looking for greater flexibility, demand for accessible workspace continued to rise. These choices represent important turning points for many organisations, and we are proud to provide environments that help people gain momentum at key moments in their journey.

2025 was also an important year for our leadership. We were delighted to appoint Usman Yaqub as the new Chair of Spaceworks. Usman brings extensive experience from the architecture and construction sectors. As a Chartered Architectural Technologist and Director of Studio Yaqub, he leads a Bristol-based practice delivering a complete architectural service for residential and commercial clients. 

Alongside his professional practice, Usman serves as President of the Chartered Institute of Architectural Technologists and is an Associate Lecturer at the University of the West of England. His commitment to quality, education and community impact aligns closely with our values and the work we do.

Usman is also a long-standing director, having worked with Spaceworks for more than seven years. Our business incubator at the Old Co-op began as one of his ideas, and has become one of our proudest community-focused initiatives. With Usman now leading the Board, we are excited to strengthen this partnership and continue developing vibrant, affordable spaces where businesses can thrive.

We extend our sincere thanks to Neil Pirie, who stepped down as Chair after many years in the role. Neil was one of our founding directors in 1985 and has been part of Spaceworks for more than four decades, and his guidance has been central to shaping the supportive, community-centred organisation we are today. We are pleased that he will continue to serve as a Director on our Board.

Looking Ahead to 2026

2026 brings new opportunities for Spaceworks and the communities we serve.

Our focus remains on improving our centres, expanding our offer and continuing to create the kind of environments where businesses and organisations can do their best work. We are grateful to our board of directors, our team, and everyone who has contributed to another successful year, and we look forward to building on this momentum in the year ahead.