Every Friday, from 9am – 6pm, a group of freelancers, small business owners, telecommuters and home workers convene at MadLab in Manchester’s Northern Quarter for Manchester Jelly – a free casual co-working event where workers can collaborate, share tips, swap ideas and simply get down to business whilst being amongst other like-minded individuals.

Working on your own can sometimes be a little isolating, especially with the nights growing dark earlier and earlier. The Jelly is a way to brighten up the working week by getting a group of people together and working alongside other interesting people.

Manchester Jelly, which started in September this year, is the first free casual co-working
event in Manchester. It draws a range of individuals together every Friday; including
freelancers, telecommuters, small/micro business owners and entrepreneurs, for the
opportunity to get their work done whilst meeting and helping each other.

“Jellies started in America a few years ago and now regularly take place in dozens of cities
across the world, including several in the UK” says Ben Gibbs, co-founder of Manchester
Jelly.

“Some people work in isolation a lot of the time and Manchester Jelly offers the chance to
work amongst other people, allowing those random, fun and helpful conversations to take
place when people are sharing a space and working together. Some small businesses use
Jellies as a chance to get out of the office and meet new people.”

“Jellies are for people from any industry, we’ve had translators, project managers, web developers, illustrators, writers and many more types professions at Manchester Jelly, some of whom are freelancers and others are employed.”

Manchester Jelly takes place every Friday from 9am to 6pm at MadLab on Edge Street in
Manchester’s trendy Northern Quarter. It is free to attend, with free tea & Coffee and super-
fast WiFi. Voluntary £5 donations to go towards the running of the space are appreciated for
the host venue MadLab.

Recent attendees of Manchester Jelly have been enthused by their experiences:

“Thanks for organising a great event btw. And good to meet everyone!”

“Was great to get working amongst other freelancers / home workers. Shame I couldn’t stay
for the whole day. Will be back in a couple of weeks. Keep up the good work.”

“Co-working is a growing trend around the world” says Natalie Whittaker, MadLab’s event
co-ordinator. “During uncertain times people have realised the benefit and support that co-
working alongside other professionals offers. Not only can it increase productivity but also
enables those who come to learn of new products, services and best practices to help them
with their work.”

To book tickets to attend any upcoming Manchester Jellies just visit the website at http://
manchesterjelly.wordpress.com
manchesterjelly.wordpress.com where you’ll also be able to see all the latest news. You can follow Manchester Jelly on Twitter or Facebook too.