Join Us

What are the benefits of membership?

As a member you get free access to the space to work on your projects whenever you want; you get free access to social events at the space; You can use any of our tools and equipment; you can be elected to the management committee; you can vote on fundraising priorities; you get free use of Wi-Fi; and, most importantly, you will be actively helping to make Leicester Hackspace a success.

Any catches to membership?

Members don’t just pay money in monthly but also are expected to put in time to help run and improve the space.

Members can volunteer to help with various stuff, for example:

We also legally require a company secretary and a set of Directors, these roles are volunteer and all elected by the membership, generally for a period of 3 years. The Directors tend to be responsible for the major decisions for the hackspace, as well as finances, and membership details as these roles require access to personal information.

OK, I’m in!

Great! But hold on just a moment there before you fully commit.
Prospective members should first come along to one of our open days on Tuesday evenings. You can just turn up between 7pm and 9pm, but please let us know if you plan to visit by email membership@leicesterhackspace.org.uk so we can make sure someone is prepared to show you around.

You’ll get the opportunity to have a look at the space, see what equipment we have available, chat with current members and confirm that you want to join.

Once you’ve decided your happy, we’ll hand over a membership form for you to complete, and once you’ve sorted your membership fees you’ll officially become a member.

Membership fees?

Leicester Hackspace is funded entirely by its members. Every month we need to pay our rent, insurance, internet and electricity bills, plus we try to raise money for new equipment. Our main source of income is membership fees.

We usually expect for most members to pay a £10 monthly membership fee, however, we don’t believe this figure should be fixed. Please donate what you feel is appropriate. This should in part reflect how much you plan to use the space and in part how much you can afford. Even if you don’t plan to use the space a great deal then we will still value you as a member and will welcome your financial contribution.

This amount a member pays can be adjusted up or down depending on changing circumstance and usage. We are more than happy to reduce the membership fee for someone who is hardly in the Hackspace, or facing financial hardships. We’d rather have a member than not have them based on their ability to pay and something can always be worked out.
Equally, if someone is in the Hackspace every day constantly using the equipment, then we would expect more than the standard £10.

Alright, where do you want my money?

When setting up your fee payments, you should either set up a standing order (details on the form) or make a monthly PayPal donation using the button below. A Standing order is our preferred method of payment because it does not incur fees. But if you do use prefer to use PayPal then we request an additional 60p for every £10 you donate to cover the extra processing fees. Remember to make your PayPal donation a recurring, monthly, payment.

Supported Payment Types

Lapsed Membership

Once you stop making your monthly donation your membership will be marked as lapsed, and you will be asked to return your key fob and remove your storage box. If you are unable to make a monthly donation but still wish to remain a member, please talk to us, and we will be happy to work something out that works for you.