Author: hhickman

Bringing our innovation community together. One year after its launch, The Wire has grown into a thriving community connecting businesses across the Oxford Innovation Space network. Created to help customers share knowledge, find support and build valuable relationships beyond their own centre, The Wire now brings together more than 1,600 members from 30 innovation centres across the UK. Whether it’s finding a trusted supplier, exploring funding opportunities, solving a business challenge or making new connections, The Wire gives innovators access to a wider community of entrepreneurs, experts and business leaders who understand the realities of growing a business. Over the

Local entrepreneur Lizzie McLafferty has recently dived into the world of becoming an author by writing her very own children’s book. Another string to her bow, as she already owns her own extremely successful and well known photography business. The book, Bear and the Brave Pyjamas, tells a story about a bear who goes to hospital with his mum. A nurse notices he’s nervous and gives him a set of brave pyjamas which helps him to feel more comfortable on the ward. The illustrations are gorgeous, and the story is suitable for little ones. The idea of writing her own

Workspace Tips and Productivity Hacks Productivity today is less about where people sit and more about how teams create the right conditions to do their best work. For SMEs, practical workspace habits can improve focus, collaboration and decision-making. Whether you are planning better meetings, protecting focus time or choosing a workspace that supports the way your team works now, small changes can deliver meaningful gains for your business. At Mansfield Innovation Centre, we provide flexible workspaces designed to improve focus, collaboration and business performance. We’ve shared practical workspace tips and productivity hacks for modern businesses operating in innovation-led environments. Running

5 Things You Might Not Know About Mansfield Innovation Centre Many people already know that our innovation centre is a great place to work, collaborate, and grow your business. But there is often much more happening behind the scenes than people realise. From the wider innovation network that we’re part of, to the flexible ways businesses can join our community, here are five things you might not know about our centre and the opportunities available to the companies based here. While our centre is rooted in the local business community, businesses based here also benefit from being part of a

At Mansfield Innovation Centre, we work closely with businesses of all sizes and understand the growing importance of creating healthy, supportive workplaces. One area that continues to come into sharper focus is mental health. While awareness has improved significantly, many organisations are still unsure how to recognise early signs of poor mental health or how best to support their teams. We caught up with mental health expert Lee Morris at Optimise Learning, and asked him about the most common challenges employees face today—and what can be done about them.  From your experience, what are the most common mental health challenges people

Four businesses based at the Mansfield Innovation Centre have secured grants through the East Midlands Combined County Authority’s High Growth Accelerator programme, supporting their continued expansion and contribution to local job creation. Block Property Solutions, Wenham Mortgages, Staff for Education and Online Bedrooms Ltd have all reported significant business growth since joining the centre, and each has now been awarded funding to support their next stage of growth. Managed by Oxford Innovation Space, Mansfield Innovation Centre provides flexible workspace alongside in-house business support services, including one-to-one sessions with an Innovation Director, peer learning opportunities, in-person events, and a suite of

Using the power of music to bring people together At Mansfield Innovation Centre, we’re proud to support a diverse community of inspiring organisations. This month, we had the pleasure of speaking with Our Dementia Choir, a remarkable group using the power of music to bring people together and raise awareness of dementia. To learn more about their work and the impact they’re making, we caught up with the team for a quick Q&A — here’s what they shared: What does Our Dementia Choir do? Our Dementia Choir, founded by Vicky McClure, brings together people living with dementia and their carers

This International Women’s Day, we’re celebrating the women who start, scale, and sustain the businesses that keep our communities moving. Women have and continue to play a vital role in business, despite the relationship between the two not always being acknowledged fairly. Yeager (2015) proposes that bringing women’s experiences, agency, and constraints to the core of business discussion and decision making holds the power to transform the field of business and its history by challenging long-standing historiographical biases, and fostering a deeper understanding of how the capitalist sphere has operated differently for women. The economic impact of women-owned businesses is

At Mansfield Innovation Centre, our Co-Working space is all about giving you structure, professionalism, and the right environment to help you focus and grow. Whether you need a desk for just a day or a more permanent place to work, we’ve got flexible options to suit your needs. One thing our tenants love most is the convenience of having everything in one place. Our onsite café is a favourite spot—not just for great coffee and fresh food, but also as a relaxed space for informal meetings and networking chats. It’s where ideas start flowing and connections happen, all without leaving