Tech entrepreneur Eddie Whittingham says his new co-working space Ministry of Work is a viable alternative to people fed-up of driving into city centres like Manchester.
The founder of cyber security business The Defence Works has just opened the doors to the Ministry of Work on Swinton and is already attracting rave reviews.
What makes the space unusual is it used to be Manchester Road Methodist Church in a former life before Whittingham set about breathing new life into the old chapel.
It鈥檚 situated four miles outside of Manchester city centre and is a stone鈥檚 throw away from the A580聽East Lancs Road.
鈥淢inistry of Work is aimed at entrepreneurs who are less likely to want to go into town and do the commute,鈥� explained Whittingham.
鈥淪o far we鈥檝e attracted people who鈥檝e got kids, don鈥檛 want to do the commute but want a place that is as good as what you find in the city centre.
鈥淚鈥檝e got a four-year-old and a two-year-old and I want to spend more time with them.鈥�
Prior to becoming a property entrepreneur, Whittingham鈥檚 founded Manchester-based cyber security business The Defence Works in 2016 before selling it to NASDAQ listed company, Proofpoint, in 2020.
Aged in his mid 30s he was too young to retire when his life took an unexpected twist.
鈥淚鈥檇 been looking for properties that would be quirky enough to attract people to an out-of-town venue as a co-working space,鈥� he recalled.
It was at that point that he stumbled across the Manchester Road Methodist Church in Swinton, which was laying empty.
Combined with buying the building in 2022, Whittingham has spent around 拢1m transforming it into a co-working space that can compete with anything in the city centre.
In total it boasts 36 co-working desks; eight private offices for up to six people; a purpose-built podcast and content studio; and a choice of break-out spaces. The office is powered by 48 solar panels.
Award-winning video content specialist What Media has already swapped its city centre location for a dedicated office at Ministry of Work and will be able to take advantage of the new podcast studio.
With a hot desk costing 拢200 a month; a dedicated desk 拢250; and a private office 拢1,200 plus VAT, the co-working is as competitive as anything in the city centre.
鈥淚t鈥檚 primarily aimed at entrepreneurs with small teams,鈥� he said. 鈥淭he train station is a five-minute walk away and our catchment at the minute has typically been Swinton, Worsley,聽 Monton and Eccles.
鈥淚 think there will be a lean towards the independent operator. A lot of people don鈥檛 enjoy the faceless co-working space. I鈥檒l be working here and my passion is startups.鈥�
To find out more email Eddie Whittingham.