With climate change at the forefront of everyone’s minds, it’s often new builds that are seen as a good option in construction, particularly as they use new and emerging environmentally-friendly materials and methodologies.

This is certainly true, and Bridge is delighted to work with a lot of developers on successful new builds that strive to improve the construction industry. However we also work with developers and makers who take the more challenging route of upcycling existing structures, and they have great stories to tell.

One such organisation is Make CIC in Liverpool.

Make CIC takes old buildings and turns them into shared workspaces for the creative industries. The brainchild of Liam Kelly and Kirsten Little, this community organisation currently has three sites: Make North Docks, an 18,000 sq ft warehouse on Liverpool’s North Docks; Make Huyton Village, its first creative hub in a high-profile high street shop space in Knowsley’s Huyton Village – and Make Hamilton, a public studio space in Birkenhead, which is soon to move to a new venue in the same area – their first owned premises.

These fantastic spaces are open to members, residents and the public. They host small businesses, artists and makers, workshops, events and exhibitions. They welcome all ages – students who are just starting out in their field, small businesses who hope to grow, community groups and retired creatives who still want to keep busy.

Part of the concept came from Liam’s own realisation nine years ago that working in isolation was not good for everyone’s mental health. With Kirsten, he brought to life the idea of collaborative, creative environments and the importance of providing equipment and affordable rent to emerging artists. Liverpool is known as a creative city and, thanks to investment from the councils and government grants, Make has opened up these three fantastic workspaces that bring together all types of creatives. Amateurs and professionals alike work side by side.

The spaces are vital community hubs that are breathing new life into old buildings and getting people together in an increasingly isolated age. Creating them, instead of constructing new buildings, obviously uses less carbon emissions, less materials and transportation, but the approach also focuses on community-based living that embraces a more traditional, quality ethos, as opposed to a quick build.

Carrie Arnold, our Director of Client Services, has been on the journey with Make since it first started. As the company’s insurer, Bridge’s role is to give Make a steer on risk management strategies and key areas to focus on. We advise their team along the way as structures get opened up and recalibrated for different purposes and people. There are costs involved and we help to minimise these as much as possible by identifying any potential issues in advance, and ensuring that the business addresses them and can be covered. Buildings can look fine at first but bringing them back to life can uncover a whole host of issues and defects that need addressing to ensure that they are safe and legal. We know the business well and, thanks to our own team’s expertise, we can reassure the insurers that any risk is viable. We all then work together for the best outcome.

Make CIC’s motto is “Helping People turn their passion into prosperity”. That prosperity depends on the individual as it could be about making money, building a network or fulfilling a creative dream.

Liam and Kirsten hope to open a Make CIC hub in every borough of Merseyside – and we will be with them every step of the way.