Every One Every Day (EOED), a charity promoting collaborative work among local residents has opened a makerspace in Barking and Dagenham.
The workshop is located on Thames Road and houses CNC machines and 3D printers. Furthermore, it also has an industrial kitchen for collaborative cooking.
The EOED was established by a social inclusion charity, Participatory City Foundation, based in Barking and Dagenham.
Chief Executive of the Participatory City Foundation, Tessy Britton, said, “We’re trying to have a really big impact. People who live in Barking and Dagenham want to see it change and they want to be part of that change.”
“We want this [makerspace] to be seen like a public library, just with different resources.”
Making together
In 2017, the Participatory City Foundation partnered with the borough of Barking and Dagenham to set up a platform to enable local residents to transform the urban landscape. The EOED was set up for this purpose with over £4 million total funding from various organizations such as the Big Lottery Fund, Esmeė Fairbairn Foundation, and City Bridge Trust.
The EOED invites local residents to suggest projects and businesses which they would like to create together. Such projects could be anything from bulk cooking, urban food growing or making and repairing things.
Wayne Trevor, development director at Participatory City, explained, “The majority of projects that we take on or happen, the ideas originally come from residents.”
Plans for EOED are for five high street shops and one warehouse to be set up. So far three shops and one warehouse have been opened. Last week, the 3,300 sqft warehouse was inaugurated at the We Make Our City festival.
Changing the city
In recent years maker culture has promoted the establishment of shared workspaces where local people can come together to create and reshape their city. One such example is the Fab Lab Barcelona, headed by urbanist Tomas Diez.
Social inclusion and participation are often emphasized in such projects. As Britton commented, “They [residents] don’t want to just continue to look to the council and other service providers. They want to have a hand in it themselves.”
“They want to be part of the solution that makes Barking and Dagenham a really great place for people to build in and to grow up in.”
Participatory City has also initiated a six month intensive course for people who want to start an EOED style makerspace in their own city.
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Featured image shows Every One Every Day warehouse. Image via Every One Every Day.
