Dodo Works Witney opened its co-working space in Witney High Street in September 2021 and has proved popular in response to the new trend of flexible and hybrid working in a post-pandemic era.
Workers are varied, ranging from travel agents, book publishers, mental health trainers and even tea creators.
With 48,000 people registered as self-employed in Oxfordshire and over 30,000 micro- to small-sized businesses in the region*, the area is a hub for freelancers, entrepreneurs and SMEs, with Dodo Works offering a solution to the office needs of these flexible workers.
The Witney-based dog-friendly community-focused co-working space, is part of the Dodo Pubs community that owns the Rusty Bicycle, Up in Arms and The Rickety Press in Oxford, is situated above the new Dodo Pubs site, The Part and Parcel – a grade II listed building and the original Witney post office.
The space, complete with hot desks, permanent desks, a meeting room, a Zoom room, blackboards and a kitchenette, offers a quality office environment without the office politics.
It also offers discounts on food at all Dodo Pubs, regular social events and access to the entire Dodo Pubs community that spans Oxford, Reading and Cheltenham.
Freelancer Liz Beswick, who hot desks at Dodo Works Witney, said: “Since lockdown, my working lifestyle has totally changed. I am no longer travelling to London and can work completely remotely.
“I missed having a dedicated office space, however, and somewhere to focus purely on work away from the home, so I looked into a co-working space.
“There wasn’t much on offer in the West Oxfordshire area, with most in central Oxford which wouldn’t make sense for me in terms of the time and cost of commuting and parking.
“Dodo Works is a modern, bright and inspiring space with the extra perk of being above a great pub, meaning discounts on my lunches and daily coffee. Also, something that was essential for me, there is free all-day parking nearby.”
The new two-storey space also brings people back into the centre of Witney during the working week, driving footfall for the local shops following the pandemic, demonstrating Dodo Pubs’ commitment to creating a community-focused network and neighbourhood spaces.
Package options include hot desking from £4.50 an hour, unlimited hot desking from £150 per desk per month or permanent dedicated desk space with unlimited weekly access (including the weekends) for £280 a month.
Dodo Works Witney is currently running a competition offering a free unlimited hot desk for a month. Visit dodopubs.com/dodo-works/witney/ for more details.
