New city centre hub at the site of one of Edinburgh's top former nightclubs for organisations leading Scotland’s recovery

The Melting Pot, Scotland’s first co-working space, has found a new much bigger home where charities, social businesses, campaigners and freelancers will lead the help lead the recovery from the Covid crisis

The Melting Pot founder Claire Carpenter at the new venue

Following a social media campaign The Melting Pot unveiled their new home will be in the former Venue nightclub close to Waverley Station at a live virtual event last night. The 5,500 sq.ft space will host double their previous capacity in response to the increased demand following the pandemic

The Melting Pot’s founder and CEO Claire Carpenter said: “We’re thrilled that we are finally announcing our fantastic new location – the secret is out!.

"We have all worked so hard to make sure this larger space is safe and ready; we know how much it is needed. Our community have told us how constant working from home has had a detrimental impact on their health and well-being, as well as their work.

New home for The Melting Pot

“The Covid crisis has alienated us from the spaces we shared with our communities. This has been necessary to protect ourselves and each other. But for us to recover as individuals, as communities and as a society we need to safely transition back to these shared spaces.”

She added: “Our new hub will offer our growing community the chance to get back to a new normal. We will provide a fit for purpose workspace for a world of work that has been permanently changed by the pandemic."

The Melting Pot provides desks and printers and their affordable options give members the opportunity to work from our space in a way which suits them best.

The new space on Calton Road was home to the The Venue, then became the Ingleby Gallery and was most recently Foundation Scotland’s Edinburgh office.

Claire Carpenter inside The Melting Pot's new co-working hub

Foundation Scotland will become one of its first new members and Chief Executive, Giles Ruck said “Since the first lockdown, we’ve become fully digital, with our staff working from home across Scotland. This virtual approach has worked well for us and we will build on this by adopting a new flexible approach, including a mix of home working and using a range of regional co-working hubs and meeting spaces.”

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