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Another year, another round up, and another happy Holiday Season!

It’s December again – and as always, we aren’t quite sure how we got here already – but that’s mostly because it has been another whirlwind of a year, full of the best kind of shenanigans and adventures.

With the days getting shorter, and the holidays closer we thought we’d do a final EOW update on the year, as well as give the heads up for our Holiday Closure (aka, the final date to make your last minute gifts).

EOW Holiday Closure Dates

22 December – 7 January

Tours, Bookings, Courses, and our bright faces all return starting the 8 January!

Enjoy a cup of something warm, a breather, and peruse a highlight reel of the things that made us especially proud this year.

But firstly, a note from Tash – EOW Managing Director

Another year together! Another year of creative industry, joy and excellence. Your presence in the EOW community lights up every corner. Have a restful Merrymass I can attest that you’ve all been VERY good this year

We’re winners – award winners that is!

While we’ve always felt pretty fancy, it was especially nice to get it officially recognised with the Scottish Edge Social Enterprise award. As well as a gorgeous new addition to our office, this award comes with £75,000 of funding and support to helps us grow our team, our programs, our resources and most importantly our impact. We exist to keep Edinburgh creatively making in a way that is accessible, affordable, and approachable to makers at every stage of their making journey. Getting people from all walks of life in the workshop is something we hold close to our hearts and we are so excited to develop this even further in 2024!

The excitement was clearly felt differently around the workshop.

Every year the projects that come through our door get more exciting, and fascinating – this is always is due to the inspiring and creative minds of YOU – our members, course participants, and visitors.

The highlight reel this year includes some massive and quirky projects like set building support for the Amazon series The Rig, a giant hamster wheel for human performers, an army of tiny CNC snails, and enough laser cut enough architectural models to require planning permission for a new village.

Equally impressive where your personal projects! They made us especially proud of our members and included everything from hand carved gnomes, bespoke guitars, chessboards, garden benches, kitchen cabinets and canoe paddles to mention a few. Also, all the course made projects from stools, desks, boxes, side tables and quilts that left the workshop, along with an abundance of new skills.

Because you spent this year signing up, learning, coming in and making we’ve been able to do some do some pretty great things before holidays, like:

  • We ran first Fundraising Makers Market which raised £1,000 for the charity, Choose Love
  • We launched, by request, Made@EOW a bespoke commissions service that cut its teeth on turning a small beach cottage into a California beach worth surf shack
  • We created a Cut2size service to help you get through all your sheet material, laser cutting, and CNC needs (without having to take a step outside the workshop office
  • We developed 5 new courses that brought new woodworking, DIY, and sewing skills to the table
  • We gave out 30 scholarships and bursaries to support folk getting into a new skill
  • We raised £1,300 for our Buy Time for a Maker fund
  • We supported our staff not only with a Living Wage, but with Living Hours and a 4 day work week (you can read more about that HERE)
  • And, most impressively (according to our marketing mascot Pepper) reached 3,000 followers on Instagram – that’s right, we’re basically influencers now

2024 won’t be slowing down – you can look forward to future endeavours like:

  • Machine and tool expansion (can you say, second CNC…?!)
  • The start of our Family Day Workshop series – for makers of all ages
  • 3D Printing services, yes, you heard that right (coming to insta soon, the fun practice projects)
  • New Courses & Workshops
  • The launch of our new PIP’s program (post induction products) to help the new maker gain more confidence with a designed product and mentor support

And so much more that we can’t even talk about yet!

We are happy with where we’ve been, proud of what we’ve done, and READY for where we are going. Though much like Kirsty here, we are keen for a rest!

Massive thanks to our funders and supporters: Scottish Edge, Social Enterprise Scotland, Firstport Scotland, City of Edinburgh Council, the and most importantly our FANTASTIC member community who’ve made all of this possible!

THANKS so much again for being part of this adventure – we can’t wait to get to work with you in 2024, and see what we can all make next together.

Happy Holidays,

Team EOW

Pepper the resident dog sits in reception

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