A not-for-profit creative hub which provides Walsall residents with the opportunity to upskill and gain employment in the creative industries has been awarded a £15,000 grant to grow their services.
Located on Long Acre Street in Walsall, Urban Hax operates a creative makerspace, providing Walsall residents a place to learn new skills, share ideas and take advantage of its tools and equipment to help their businesses to grow.
Urban Hax received a £15,000 donation from Walsall Business Support to purchase a new hi-resolution 3D scanner and resin 3D printer to be used as part of training and R&D within the construction/architecture and creative industries.
Working with around 300 members of the Walsall community each year, Urban Hax provides a number of services including support to residents looking to set up creative enterprises, upskilling them in creative skills to help them prepare for the world of work and working with schoolchildren to raise their career aspirations.
The donation will also contribute to the costs associated in converting a former digital content creator apprentice into a makerspace technician.
Walsall Business Support Board Member Rob Colbourne OBE said:
“Urban Hax is a fantastic organisation, offering residents in Walsall with the tools and skills to retrain, upskill and gain employment. We hope that the funding inspires as many people as possible to utilise the makerspace and benefit from the opportunities on offer.”
Urban Hax director Geoff Henderson commented:
“The donation will give a significant boost to the business in its primary aim of making a difference to people’s lives in and across the borough.
“Walsall is home to some very creative people, and we want to work with them and establish a creative community with ambition and purpose. Without the donation the company would have grown but at a much-reduced rate.
“The additional resources will help raise the profile of the business at a critical time when, in 2024, it will become the scheme operator of the Creative Industries Enterprise Centre at The Guildhall in the town centre.
“Critically it will cement the position of the makerspace technician now that he has completed his apprenticeship and the new equipment will allow us to continue to push the boundaries of creativity and build on Walsall’s rich cultural and industrial heritage.”
The company is also in the process of setting up Walsall Tool Shack, a community tool lending service, which is the first phase in the company’s strategy to address their sustainability goals. Under the title of “Fix, Share, and Reuse: The Walsall Sustainable Solutions Hub” future activities will see the development of a Repair Cafe and a Community Scrapstore to help and support local residents adopt a healthier, more active and sustainable lifestyle.
Walsall Business Support can provide grants and a free training needs analysis to businesses looking to generate growth, create employment or shape training opportunities for the borough of Walsall. Using an online application form on the WBS website, bids for financial support can be submitted by businesses needing investment in a new project or a company wanting to improve skills.
