Machynlleth Makerspace – learn, socialise and collaborate

Keys to the new premises in Machynlleth!

Pat Cook has been a volunteer at Makerspace in Machynlleth since the start of 2024. She says: “I can’t even begin to describe how important it has been to find such a welcoming space here and I want to do everything I can to ensure its success and continued growth.”

I asked Pat to tell us more about the work of Machynlleth Makerspace, also called Machspace. Cassian, one of the directors at Machspace, contributes too.

What is a Makerspace?

Pat: It is what it says - a space where there is the room and equipment and advice, if necessary, for members to make, mend or repair. Often people don’t have the room or the equipment they need to make or mend and this lack of facilities contributes further to the amount of waste that our throwaway society produces.

Cassian: There are lots of makerspaces (sometimes called hackspaces) all over the UK and the rest of the world. The Hackspace Foundation is a UK organisation helping people to set up and run makerspaces.

How did Machynlleth Makerspace come about?

Cassian: It was 2021 when Katy Fowler, a former director, suggested the idea in a local WhatsApp group. Me and Avery were immediately interested, because Avery had been a member of Swindon Makerspace and had been wishing for one in Mach since he moved here just before the first Covid lockdown. I went with him a few times as a guest and enjoyed it very much.

Many people were interested at first, but there were four of us who were very dedicated. We met weekly to chat about how to move it forward. None of us had done anything like this before, but in early 2022 we formally founded the Community Interest Company (CIC) - me, (they/them), Avery Rowe (he/him), Katy Fowler (they/them) and Chris Richards (she/her). We met regularly and held semi-regular "open days" at the local Bowling Club's function room, but really struggled to find a venue in Mach to settle full-time.

Then in Summer 2023 there was a sudden flurry of action: we learned about the Social Value Forum Development Fund a month before its deadline at the same time as we found an empty shop that wasn't properly on the market for new tenants yet - it was a very intense month of writing the grant application. Then the grant was awarded, we signed the shop lease, and worked very hard to make the kitchen and bathroom suitable for member use as quickly as possible. The grand opening was on 20 October 2023. The group went from no venue and no money to opening our makerspace in about 3 months!

That was just under 6 months ago. The SVFDF target was 50 members in 18 months, and now at only 6 months we have over 70 members already! It's been a whirlwind. I still haven't caught my balance, but when I stop and catch my breath I feel in awe of what we've achieved.

Pat: I know from personal experience both the emotional and time consuming costs and benefits of such altruism and how exceptional it is to find there are still people who care about the community they live in and want to improve it for everyone’s benefit.

Demolition work to improve the space!

Where is it based?

Pat: It’s in the centre of Machynlleth in the Old Town Hall almost opposite the Clock Tower. The ‘Happy Bench’ is directly outside, a useful space to sit and think and talk to other people.

Tell us how you got involved and about your role

Pat: I moved to Machynlleth two years ago from Brecon. Lockdown was horrendous for me personally, it destroyed what was left of my limited mobility and everyone on the estate was impacted by the open selling of drugs and the resulting fights and antisocial behaviour. Two years earlier I had to have my horse put down and the year before that the Community Art Workshop I had helped to set up and run had to be shut down. I had already applied for a transfer and when my best friend and neighbour died I moved to Machynlleth.

I now live in a beautiful town, with views of the mountains from my living room window, but I didn’t feel ready to be old and wanted more from my life. I found Machspace by accident when, on one of the days I could walk, I was on my way to a Credu Coffee Morning. I couldn’t believe my luck. Here was the opportunity to be involved again with a community of Makers, only this time without the responsibilities.

My physical limitations prevent me from being more active but I have run an Open Day and helped people explore the potential that lino printing offers. It was great to once again see people experimenting with new ideas and techniques and to meet people in such a friendly and sociable space.

What kind of equipment is available for members to use in the space?

Pat: Considering the limitations of space the variety of equipment available is amazing. Woodworking tools, including a mitre saw. It was this that really excited me as now, once I have bought the materials, I can frame the pictures that I’ve painted. Sewing machines, including an industrial one for heavy duty fabrics, a peg loom, a soldering station, lino cutting tools, and a newly acquired laser cutter and 3D printer are available. It really is a Makerspace in being able to provide access to equipment that you wouldn’t have at home, as well as the space to use it.

It’s a members-only space – why, and what are the benefits of membership?

Pat: Machspace is available for members to use 24/7. Because it is a totally free and unsupervised space it is important that both the space, the equipment and any other people present are treated with respect and consideration. It is easy to join as a member. There is a 30 minute induction during which the conditions of membership are made clear, then you sign an agreement to abide by these conditions. After this the new member is given a key fob which means you can access the space at any time that suits you. Especially useful if you’re an insomniac or work antisocial shifts or you’re a night-functioning person.

How is being a volunteer at Machspace different?

Pat: I seem to have spent a lot of my life volunteering for different community groups and organisations. Perhaps the biggest difference is that being a volunteer for Machspace is the inclusivity. There are regular volunteer meetings and a WhatsApp volunteer forum which provides the opportunity for volunteers to be actively involved in the development and plans for Machspace’s activities and growth as an important asset to the community.

What happens at the fortnightly Open Events?

Pat: The Open Events provide an opportunity for anyone who is interested in finding out more about Machspace, the equipment available, how to become a member and to answer any questions. Usually there is a making activity taking place during the 2 hours of the Open Event and anyone is welcome to join in and meet other makers in a friendly and welcoming environment with the added benefit of drinks and snacks.

Roz, Pat and Stu lino cutting

Tell us how being part of Mach Makerspace has impacted on your mental health

Pat: When I found Machspace my head was not in a good place. My GP had referred me for counselling and I had just been for my third session. I was trying hard to overcome my anger, despair and grief at having to accept that I was no longer able to know where my youngest son had been placed by the mental health services.

My youngest son was diagnosed with schizoid-affective disorder in 2000. I haven’t seen him since 2014 when he decided I was not his mother. He took this decision as a result of being able to access amphetamines despite being on a section 3 and under the ‘safe’ care of an inpatient mental health unit.

Previously I was able to accommodate the distress this decision caused me by riding my horse, making pots and printing at the workshop and talking to my neighbour. Now that none of those options were available I didn’t know how to deal with it.

Finding Machspace has provided me with the help I needed to accept the loss of my son. It has provided me with friendship and most importantly made me want to start printing again. It has helped me to begin the process of healing myself and to regain a positive, rather than a negative and anger-filled state of mind. I know that my mental health has improved because I am now able to look forward to making my lino prints. Rather than dwelling on the negativity of grieving for something that cannot be changed I can remember my son’s achievements with admiration for what he managed to do despite his devastating mental illness.

Why is accessibility important at Mach Makerspace

Pat: Everyone is different and has different needs. By being accessible 24/7 and with the wealth of equipment available Machspace caters for the needs of people who might not feel comfortable in a more formal environment and enables the development of individual skills and confidence.

What are the interaction badges and why did you introduce them?

Pat: Not everyone wants to talk to other people, some people want to talk but lack the skills to initiate a conversation with someone they don’t know. The badges provide a clear visual signal to anyone of each individual’s needs and requirements when in a social space so that everyone respects each other without having to endure sometimes painful and difficult discussions.

Cassian: I first encountered interaction badges at Autscape, which is an annual conference run by and for autistic people. It's a neurodivergent-default space, which is to say, it's assumed by default that most of the people there are neurodivergent and the space is primarily designed for neurodivergent people - the opposite of the rest of the world, really! The interaction badges are intended to allow autistic people to clearly and non-verbally self-regulate comfortable social interaction with each other.

We introduced them because they're so helpful and important in neurodivergent spaces like Autscape, and we want to be inclusive of neurodivergent people. I'm autistic and I have ADHD, so it's close to my heart.

Are there currently, or plans for, other Makerspaces in Powys?

Pat: There should be. I believe that physically making, mending and repairing provides an invaluable resource for developing self-confidence and respect for your own and other people’s achievements. Making and developing skills with different equipment and materials is an essential part of what it means to be a social human being. It provides a means to overcome the feelings of negativity that living in such an unequal society can often induce.

Cassian: I definitely agree, every town needs a makerspace as much as it needs a library or a community centre. Humans have been making things together for as long as there have been humans! Creativity and art and problem-solving are all hardwired in us, and humans are an incredibly social species. In makerspaces you can really see that we all inherently understand that sharing skills and materials is good for everyone involved. It comes so naturally to us; we've been doing it for thousands of years.

Many thanks to Pat and Cassian for telling us about the work of Makerspace in Mach. If you want to find out more you can contact the organisation by emailing hello@machspace.org or check out their website – machspace.org

Llandrindod Lakers: An Invitation to Play.

by guest author Jimi

I would like to invite you to play basketball with us. You’re probably thinking “don’t you need to be 7ft tall?” and the truth is no, you really don’t.

My name is Jimi and I run a social basketball group in Llandrindod Wells. As an adult on the autism spectrum, access to sports, especially competitive sports, has always been challenging. After what was a dark, difficult and strayed 24 years of my life, I was eventually diagnosed with autism less than a year ago and I remember how unhelpful and overwhelming the post-diagnosis support thrown at me was. I was also in a pit of depression and constant anxiety at the time and my bipolar was running free and naked in the boggy marsh of my mind.

Through many other coarse experiences with mental health services, I have found that they can be congested with inflexible bureaucratic principles, galactic waiting times, a lack of resources as well as education and empathy, mountainous referrals and far too clinical to make a real and natural connection with an individual. There is also an addict-like reliance on prescribing pharmaceuticals: the irony.

The signposting on signposting on signposting played out like Dr Seuss’ Green Eggs & Ham, except my ending left Sam-I-Am to his rare refreshment and I decided to go it alone to start writing a new book to break the cycle (neither literary nor literally, just to make that clear).

I’d been in this state too many times for too long, repeating the same patterns that I knew could lead to a fifth suicide attempt. I’d had enough and it was up to me to do something about it or rot. I set off with my figurative notepad and pen to discover what positivity and wellbeing meant to me. Now I must mention here that I didn’t start playing basketball again and my mental health problems disappeared overnight, I don’t want to say it would be impossible but (reluctantly) this would be impossible.

“Know thyself.”

After a men’s process work retreat facilitated by a very dear friend of mine, Scott McGregor, and his counterpart, Laurence Johns, I decided to completely unmask. Simply put ‘masking’ is a strategy many neurodivergent, especially autistic, people do to appear neurotypical in front of others and, in terms of energy and wellbeing, it is decimating.

For me, unmasking has been arduous yet rewarding and I’m still working through it. The retreat itself was at the height of last year’s summer set in the gorgeous hills of Llanafan Fawr, disconnected from the noise of modern life and totally wholesome. This part of my life was a major turning point and with the support of other vulnerable and beautiful men, it showed me that the answers and contentment I’ve been desperately trying to latch on to were actually within myself, not out to the exterior world or with material objects or romantic relationships. I’d been unwittingly running away from that truth my entire adult life.

Enter basketball.

I’ve always enjoyed playing since my friend introduced it to me in primary school. It was different to the other mainstream sports on the playground; the play was faster, more intense, more tactile and we didn’t need to face rejection, we could just pick up our ball and play. It was at the height of the Michael Jordan/Chicago Bulls fever that was gripping the globe and a popular interest in basketball was gaining traction here in the UK. Other kids soon took notice and, of course, we let them all join us.

Fast forward to 2023. I mentioned in passing to a then work colleague, now teammate, how I wished to play again: serendipity rides shotgun. He invited me to come along to play with a group down the road, the Builth Bulls, and after that first session back my fire was reignited.

Once a week could not sate my appetite for hitting those sweet buckets so a few of us ‘Llandodites’ decided to set something up closer to home and more regular throughout the week. Within a month I was finding a direct correlation between the progress I was making during practice and the progress in the rest of my life.

As more players were stepping onto our court, I kept thinking about all the other people in similar situations to me who perhaps felt that the system was letting them down, especially in a rural area such as ours. I feel obligated to do more to let them know that all their eccentricities, fears and insecurities are so welcome on our court. Basketball can take you through a lot of emotions and feelings; frustration and elation, fatigue and determination, inflation and deflation, anger and humour. It’s good to recognise them and work through them in a safe way. You work a lot with action and reaction which are very valuable tools you can then use out in the world beyond the court.

So this is what I’m offering my fellow neurodivergent peers; the opportunity to play in a space where it doesn’t matter who you are or what’s going on off the court, for an hour only basketball matters. A supportive environment to compliment whatever care or health journey you find yourself on. If you don’t relate to any of the issues I’ve spoken about, that truly is wonderful and of course you are welcome to play with us.

Psychologists and teachers say that children learn through play, but I find that to only be a half-truth: people best learn through play. I’ve learnt more about myself through sharing experiences where my sense of humour and curiosity can move freely and being inspired through connecting with others, Llandrindod Lakers has been a huge part of that and I hope anyone reading this will find their power within to do something new. Play.

Helping Mental Health With A Ball - a member's testimony

Becoming a resident to Powys in 2021 I had reached out to several sports and social clubs. Dishearteningly, most of which never got back to me. I re-attempted late 2023, predominantly from a physical health viewpoint and came across a post on a local group solution page regarding basketball. I’ve always been an admirer of the sport from afar but was typically pushed towards either football or individual workouts, for which I had no affinity.

Since joining, I’ve been taken aback of how much the group has helped mentally, from the initial welcome and the encouragement thereafter. I’ve found myself eager and excited for not only the session but week ahead. Which has translated to each aspect of my life. I’m proud to have found great friends here and an outlet for stress, anxiety and healthy competition.

Combining a welcoming group of local people with a sport that has a rich, diverse and inclusive history has surely been a winning experience for me.

Llandrindod Lakers have open basketball sessions on Mondays 6 – 7pm and 

Fridays 6.30 – 7.30pm at Llandrindod Wells Sports Centre.

Find out more on the Llandrindod Lakers' Facebook page.