THERE’S POWER IN THE UNION

Union St cemented its place in the Sheffield social enterprise ecosystem recently, hosting a popular networking event for the region’s social entrepreneurs.

It is essentially just bricks and mortar office space in a convenient location, albeit with a nice aesthetic of industrial-looking upcycled furniture and artwork on the walls, but it is much more - a community for its co-workers and a model for business co-operatives.

Matt Hill, co-founder and managing director at the co-working hub in Sheffield’s city centre was discussing the decade long journey of taking on a former 1970’s office into a space that is full of action, even after a global pandemic.

The upper floors are run by a co-operative, a community interest company whose profits are reinvested into developing the facilities and activities for the city. Architects, coders, freelancers of all kinds, work alongside each other, paying membership for desk space and, crucially, getting a discount if they “get involved.”

The community side of it includes things like talks and discussions and scheduled “doss breaks.” Many include food. The ground floor includes independent coffee and a rotating schedule of Sheffield’s best street foodthe charity provides traders with the chance to develop a new brand and test trade to an established customer base.

Having discussed issues such as loneliness, isolation and links to mental health,