PLYMOUTH BASED WOOD WORKSHOP ANNOUNCES MILLENNIUM MOVE

The Albion Workshop, Plymouth’s public access wood workshop facility, will soon be moving to a new, purpose-built workshop in the Millennium building on Union Street.

After originally opening in January 2020 on Connaught Lane in Mutley, Plymouth, community wood workshop The Albion Workshop are pleased to announce that they will soon be moving to exciting new purpose built premises in the Millennium building on Union Street, working in partnership with Nudge and Eat Work Art.

Established in 2018, The Albion Workshop is a Community Interest Company (CIC) providing public access to a fully equipped professional wood workshop. They plan to expand their offering to include creative short courses and workshops, whilst continuing to support small local businesses, providing rentable bench space, and access to high
quality machinery.

Founded by Neil Dodd, a Plymouth based touring sound engineer and self taught carpenter, the workshop began as a side project, where he intended to fulfil his ambition of becoming a guitar builder. Developing into a business where Neil was able to share the space and its machinery, the workshop now has over 30 members, two full time tenants, and provides shopfitting and fabrication services to a host of clients around Plymouth and beyond. Since the workshop was opened in 2020, the team have been commissioned to create tables and planters for the co-working space at Market Hall in Devonport, building furniture for Roam Brewery, Early Bird Cafe and Bulletproof Brewery, refitting Plymouth Gin’s gift shop on Southside Street, as well as building the sheds at Nudge’s indoor shopping arcade The Plot, to name just a few.

Neil said, “The workshop has always been a passion project, with myself and the other directors Ryan and Lauren, trying to make it work alongside full time employment. The funding that Nudge have helped secure from The UK Community Renewal Fund will allow us to realise the bigger vision we have always had for the workshop, by employing full & part time staff to create a brand new bespoke facility, in response to the needs of our
members, tenants and the wider creative community.”

He continued, “During the construction phase of the new workshop, we will be looking to support members of the music industry, which has been so badly affected by Covid, providing jobs for those wishing to enter into a new career in construction. We also aim to support getting more women into the construction industry, as well as a longer term focus on evening out the gender split of women in the woodworking sector by having female led workshops and inductions.

Hannah Sloggett, co-founder and co-director of Nudge, said, “We loved working with Albion to get The Plot up and running, so being able to offer them a space at The Millennium building where they can offer opportunities to the local community – support small businesses, develop skills, and help people move into employment – it will be an asset to the street. Eat Work Art and Nudge are really happy to be creating space for The Albion Workshop to grow their ambitions”

The Albion Workshop Boxes for Plymouth Gin

Nudge Community Builders was set up in 2017 by local people living in Stonehouse, Plymouth. From kick-starting the Union Street Party, to taking over unloved buildings along Union Street and turning them into community focused spaces, Nudge work hard to make positive, lasting changes, helping local businesses and people to be brave, creative, resilient and healthy, supporting themselves and their local community. Nudge secured funding from the UK Community Renewal Fund to help The Albion Workshop to create a purpose-built workshop which will be located alongside other businesses (yet to be announced) on the ground floor of the Millennium Building on Union Street.

Eat Work Art has partnered with Nudge to breathe life into the magnificent Millennium building, and further elevate Plymouth’s arts and culture scene on a national scale. Alongside the vision of creating an outstanding music and entertainment venue, the project aims to attract a vast network of creatives keen to perform, create and make use of the various spaces in the venue in inspirational ways.

With construction on the new workshop commencing soon, and plans to open in late Spring 2022, the Albion Workshop will continue to offer inductions, memberships and bench space at their current Mutley Plain location. All new members of The Albion Workshop are required to complete an induction session. These will take place on most Saturdays throughout the year. To find out about the next available date, or book an induction, email
info@thealbionworkshop.com.

Anyone interested in finding out more is invited to make an appointment to see the workshop – get in touch on Instagram, Facebook or by emailing info@thealbionworkshop.com.