BRINGING LIFE BACK TO LOCAL SPACES ACROSS BOURNEMOUTH, CHRISTCHURCH AND POOLE
Step Up Spaces finds underused venues across BCP and fills them with community events, celebrations and gatherings that bring real people through the door.
WHAT IS STEP UP SPACES?
There are brilliant venues across BCP sitting quiet when they could be buzzing.
Pubs with empty mornings. Church halls booked two days a week. Community centres that want to serve their area but don’t know how to reach people.
Step Up Spaces changes that.
We partner with local venues to host community events that bring footfall, new faces and real energy. Venues get people through the door. The community gets a reason to gather. And BCP gets a little bit more of what it used to feel like.
No gatekeepers. No red tape. Just local spaces being used for something that matters.
WHAT HAPPENS IN A STEP UP SPACE?
Right now, the main thing we are building is our community celebration events.
Think festival energy without the chaos. A full day of independent local businesses, community groups, makers, crafts, activities, coffee and cake. Intergenerational. Joyful. The kind of day where you bump into a neighbour, discover a brilliant local business you never knew existed, and leave feeling like community actually exists.
One event per town. Christchurch, Poole and Bournemouth.
Starting monthly, building to weekly.
We also use Step Up Spaces for pop-up events, gatherings, skill shares and anything else that brings people together in a local venue. If it gets people off their phones and into the same room, we are interested.
How Step Up Spaces Works
No gatekeepers. No red tape. Just local people helping local places thrive.
WHY THIS MATTERS
Local spaces are closing.
People are on their phones.
Neighbours don’t know each other.
Money is leaving BCP every day.
Step Up Spaces is one part of flipping that around.
One venue at a time.
One event at a time.
One connection at a time.
HAVE A SPACE THAT COULD BE PART OF THIS?
If you run a venue that goes quiet at times and you want people through the door, we want to hear from you.
It doesn’t matter whether it’s a pub, a church hall, a café or a community centre. If it has space and a willing attitude, that’s enough to start.
No pressure. No big commitment. Just a conversation.
Register your interest using the form below.
This is already happening across BCP.
The next spaces and sessions are being lined up right now.
Register below to be part of it.
COMING SOON
These are ideas already in the pipeline for Step Up Spaces. They are coming. If any of them sound like something you want to be part of, pop us a message and we will be in touch when they launch.
Pub Desking
Because nobody does their best work staring at their own kitchen wall.
Imagine starting your working day in a proper local pub or café. Good coffee in front of you. Other humans nearby. Your laptop open and actually getting things done, without the isolation, the endless snacking or the same four walls.
Pub Desking turns quiet weekday mornings in brilliant local venues into co-working spots that work for everyone. The venue gets footfall and income during their slowest hours. You get a workspace that actually feels good to be in. And your money stays in BCP instead of disappearing into a coffee chain.
Work feels better when you’re part of something.
Skill Swap Speed Dating
(Yes, it is exactly what it sounds like)
Skill Swap Speed Dating is coming to Step Up Spaces soon.
Before the event, everyone shares:
- What they need help with
- What skills they can offer
We do the matching.
Then we bring everyone into the same space for fast, real conversations that actually go somewhere.
Designers meet café owners.
Chefs meet content creators.
Freelancers meet venues.
Ideas turn into action.
No awkward networking.
No pitching.
Just real people helping each other move forward.
This is what community-powered actually looks like.
Community Meet-Ups & Local Networking
Not everything needs to be a workshop, a pitch or an “event”.
Sometimes people just need a place to sit, breathe, work, talk and feel part of something again.
A space where you can:
- Work alongside other humans, not just your laptop
- Share ideas without pressure
- Meet collaborators in a natural way
- Feel less alone while building something that matters to you
Step Up Spaces hosts relaxed community meet-ups and open co-working sessions inside real local venues across BCP. No stages. No awkward icebreakers. Just good spaces and good people.
No name badges.
No pressure.
Just real conversations in real local places.
Come for the Wi-Fi.
Stay for the connection.
Pull Up a Chair
Sometimes people don’t need a workshop or an event. They just need a place to sit and feel less alone.
Pull Up a Chair is a Step Up Spaces initiative where a clearly marked table is hosted inside a local pub or café for an hour at a time.
Anyone can join. No booking. No pressure. No expectations.
Just a friendly face, an open seat, and a real conversation if you want one.
How Pull Up a Chair works
- A local venue hosts an Pull Up a Chair event
- A Step Up volunteer commits to sitting there for at least one hour
- The table is clearly marked so people know they are welcome
- People can join for a chat, sit quietly, or just be around others
- No fixing. No forcing. Just presence
Pull Up a Chair is for:
- People feeling lonely or isolated
- Remote workers who miss human contact
- New residents wanting to feel part of something
- Anyone who just needs a friendly place to sit for a while
