Well, hello world! I can't believe the time has come to share with you what I've been working on for the past year. It's an absolute privilege to be writing this first update...
If we don't already know each other: I'm Ariel, and I'm the founder of Village, a new coworking community for women in my local area, here in Farnham. I moved to the Farnham area with my now-husband in early 2022, when the hunt for our first home brought us to the nearby village of Bentley. I was no stranger to moving to new places, having moved across states and countries my whole life, and I was excited to put down roots somewhere. But this time, it felt different. Maybe it was the post-pandemic context - I was working from home full-time. Maybe it was also my age - I had just turned 30. I was increasingly finding it hard to meet new people and make new friends with each move, and so I did wonder how I would actually make this new house a home. How would I find my community here? Then two brilliant things happened:
I began planning our wedding in earnest, which was only 3 months away. Who buys their first home and gets married within a 3 month period(!)? I can't say I recommend that one... but as I started working with our wedding coordinator, photographer, florist, makeup and hair artists, I was suddenly surrounded by all of these amazing, female business owners, who became so inspirational to me. And I noticed how much of a community they had with each other - working in a female-led environment day in, day out, and building each other up in their respective fields. When the wedding was past, I knew I wanted to find a way to continue working with women in business.
I also met my next door neighbour, Kerri, who became my first friend here. Kerri owns and runs a stunning bridal boutique here in the Hampshire countryside (Bridal Indulgence - do pay her a visit!). She invited me to visit the boutique one day to help her create some content for social media. The space she has created is so beautiful, and I remember immediately thinking to myself, how lovely would it be to work in stunning space like this every day? And how special it must be to support women every day, like she does.
I became very aware of how influential being part of a community of women can be, not just in life and friendship, but in business too. I felt most inspired in my own self, and most confident of what I might be able to achieve, when I was surrounded by women who were thriving in their own ways. And I started asking myself, what can I contribute to this community?
I felt most inspired in my own self, and most confident of what I might be able to achieve, when I was surrounded by women who were thriving in their own ways.
And that's when the idea of Village was born! I have spent the last 8 years as a management consultant, working across both a corporate office environment and more recently from home. I know what it's like to feel like you need to sit at a desk all day to get some things done, but equally feel like your environment is just not cutting it - for your productivity, for your wellbeing, or simply for inspiration! In designing Village, I sought to address the various challenges I have faced in my career as a woman in business. I am so pleased to now offer this to others. Village is a local coworking space designed to foster collaboration and connection between female professionals and entrepreneurs. We are located in the heart of the Farnham community, just off Castle Street. At Village, members and visitors can enjoy a warm and inclusive culture while working in a designed, considered space that inspires them. Have a look below at some of the ways you can get involved:
Memberships: The heart of Village is our members - the ladies who come into the space on a regular basis and form the core our our community. Memberships are provided on a monthly basis and are tiered to provide a set number of days per month. See our Memberships page to find an option that works for you.
Virtual Office: We also support those who may not require physical space to share, but need support in running the administrative tasks of their business, e.g. mail handling. For more info, see our Virtual Office page.
Events: At Village, we host a calendar of events throughout the year. Some are open to the public, and some are member-only. Keep an eye on our Events page for what's coming up, and let us know if you want to host an event of your own!
Venue & Room Hire: Accessible to the wider community, our space is available to hire for events in the evenings and at the weekends too! Think masterclasses, pop-ups, team away days, whatever you need it for, just get in touch and we will help you organise it.
I hope Village will be a space many of you can enjoy and benefit from. I can't wait to get to know you and get started! As a final note for today: It's my personal wish that we can form a real community here, and so I would absolutely love to hear from you on how we can best support you. Drop me a note and let me know - how can Village work for you?
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