co:worx exceeding plans for opening year

Edgeworthstown community company co:worx represented Ireland recently in the European Enterprise Promotion Awards. The award ceremony was held on November 29 last in Prague.

The volunteer-led project co:worx made the shortlisted in the Eurpoe wide compitition. Claire McEnroe, co:worx director, said there was a lot of anticipation ahead of the Czech Republic award ceremony: “We were the national winner in the category for responsible and inclusive entrepreneurship. It was fantastic to be shortlisted.”

This is not the first award co:worx have clocked up. They have a Digital town awards 2021, when the won the medium town category, they contributed to the Longford County Councils “Rural Working Hub Strategy” seeing it shortlisted for the Innovation in Politics Awards 2021.

The former Ulster Bank is a landmark building in Edgeworthstown is located at Main Street. The building is a protected structure built in the Queen Anne Revival style. It ceased operating as a bank in 2017, and was acquired by the local community group with a view to creating a Digital Hub in Edgeworthstown. The facility provides vibrant collaborative and co-working spaces, acting as a launch pad for innovative start up businesses and new entrepreneurs in the local community.
co:worx offers affordable workspaces with a mix of offices, dedicated desk, hot-desks, and meeting rooms in a very central location, easily accessed by rail and road.

The facility caters for up to 38 remote workers and start-up entrepreneurs. It's an ambitious project for rural Ireland realised by a local community with the support of local and national co-funders.

Housed within a former bank building in the centre of the town, which is owned by Longford
A volunteer-led project, it is funded through the Regional Enterprise Development Fund, the LEADER Programme, the Town and Village Renewal Scheme, the Built Heritage Investment Scheme, and the Connected Hubs Fund, through the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment; the Department of Rural and Community Development; the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage and Longford County Council.

Claire explained the origins of the project: “We opened on April 1. Eight of us got together to repurpose the former Ulster Bank into a Digital Hub.”

Since April there has been a steady demand for co:worx offering: “What we provide is short term office space for people. If you are a start up company we have very reasonable rates. This means our clients don't have to take out a long term office lease in the early stages of their business. We are almost at 80% of capacity. Only one office is not fully rented out.”

Lir Analytical, Komfort Kare, Paul & Vincent and Veon are among tennants availing of the spaces available in the Edgewotrthstown facility. The provision of incunbation spaces to allow emerging business develope is a key role for co:worx.
“We are lucky to have our anchor clients, but we also provide hot desks,” Clare says of the centre, “We have dedicated desks, this means tenants don't have to have a full office, they can share the space and have all the security of having your own office. That has been really positive.”

The centre have got off to a good start. Clare says things are progressing well: “We are only opened six months and we are not at full capacity yet. We've exceeded our plan for year one within six months. We would love to expand, but we are really just making sure we get up and running a the moment.”