‘Pioneering’ start-up adds 250 jobs to local economy with new site in South London

A new neighbourhood destination in Twickenham, by ‘pioneering’ startup Patch, will officially open its doors next week on September 21 for locals to ‘WNH’, aka Work Near Home, in a bid to ‘reignite the high street’.

The new ‘lighthouse for local life’ will champion culture, community and the spirit of entrepreneurship. The transformation of one of the town’s most historic Art Deco buildings is Patch’s biggest location to date. It will bring 250 new jobs to the area, by encouraging people to reinvest their time, money and talent into where they live by working closer to home.

With its array of independent businesses, and its ‘creative spirit and sense of community’, Twickenham was identified as the perfect place for a Patch to provide a cultural epicentre for local working people.

Patch’s latest opening is part of the business’s plans for UK-wide expansion and a space on every high street in every major town. The neighbourhood venture offers design-led spaces for not just a wide range of work uses, but also community and cultural events.

This new destination includes a 3,500 sq ft ground floor public access space. This includes Café Arora, with Indian street-food served by local resident Sheetal Arora, a multi-purpose events studio, a local makers market and a podcast studio.

The space will host a programme of community and cultural events including inspiring talks, supper clubs, sports clubs, business workshops, networking events and crafts classes, to name just a few.

This extensive redevelopment was supported by Richmond Council and the South London Partnership, who secured funding for the project via the BIG South London programme. Central to Patch’s ‘WNH’ vision is the promotion of access to ‘excellent’ workspaces and job opportunities located near people’s homes.

As a result, Patch offers flexible memberships designed to accommodate a variety of working schedules, making them ideal for hybrid workers, working parents, growing SMEs, or individuals entering the workforce for the first time.

Freddie Fforde, founder and CEO of Patch, commented: “Where, when and how we work has changed. We call it the ‘Work Near Home’ era, and it’s based on our belief that spending more time in our local community is key to creating happier societies, healthier high streets and greater opportunities for all.

“It’s about having a space to work, interact with others and feel productive - but also being close enough to do the school run, go for lunch locally and interact with and discover other local businesses. Patch customers tell us one of their favourite aspects of our venues is the lack of commute, sense of local community and better work life balance.”

By Matthew Neville – Senior Correspondent, Bdaily

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