Commonplace Bus: The Big Conversion

by Lucy Cooke and Roxanna Locke  in Manchester, England, United Kingdom

We did it
On 18th December 2017 we successfully raised £5,732 with 85 supporters in 42 days

Commonplace are raising money to convert the interior of their bus into a beautiful and flexible community event space.

by Lucy Cooke and Roxanna Locke in Manchester, England, United Kingdom

 New stretch target

Beep beep! The Commonplace bus is on it's way to the converters! A massive thank you to those who supported us to reach our original target of £5,500. 

This money will enable us to get designing for the interior conversion immediately and launch our first workshops in the new year. But of course you've got our motor going now and we are feeling ambitious! We would like to double our original target and go for a stretch target of £11,000. 

What would getting to £11,000 achieve: 

  • Stage one of the installation - moving our entrance door to the centre of the bus to make it more easily wheelchair accessible and create an impactful entranceway. 
  • Pay for the electrical rigging of the bus - you'll be able to charge your phone aboard and ensure your Instagram ready at all times. 
  • More workshops - up to 10 free and subsidised public workshops for you to come and build our bus with us. 

Thank you for you support to date - we are still picking our jaws up from the floor! Please continue to tweet, facebook and honk your horns for us. We would love to reach the new £11,000 target. 


Ever had a fine dining experience on a bus, laid down for a massage on the top deck or danced in the aisles? Well, Commonplace has - aboard our very own coral-coloured bus! 

Commonplace is a mobile community space housed in a double decker bus, showcasing the best events and meet-ups across Manchester. We are a social enterprise and work with community groups, fellow social enterprises and start-up businesses - bringing their events and ideas to new crowds and communities across the city. We are passionate about creating an affordable, yet beautiful event space that can be used by anyone. 

And the advantage of being a mobile space means we can reach more people and take new events to different communities. You really can have a spa in your office car park, or host a dinner party in your local park!

We are now ready to start the next stage of our journey and convert the interior of the bus, introducing much needed practicalities like electricity, lighting, heating and air con. As well as enlisting a local team of makers to design functional and beautiful furnishings, that will be created in public workshops.  We need £5,500 to kick start this process... 

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Thanks to Stagecoach Manchester we have a bus - and over the last 6 months we've been out on the road running pop-up events - transforming her empty decks into unique experiences. These have included pop-up restaurants, spas, talks and creative workshops.  

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Next Stop... The Interior Conversion

We may have a shiny exterior, but our interior could do with some sprucing up! The bus had the seats removed and some temporary carpentry work to see us through this summer, however in order to make it a truly functional space for our community users we need to install an internal generator to provide electricity, and fitted furnishings that are adjustable and moveable - adapting the space for different events. We are crowd funding for £5,500 which would kick start the conversion. 

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Your donations of £5,500 will: 

  • Design the conversion 
  • Host free and fun workshops for everyone to have an opportunity at refitting the bus 
  • Enable us to run the very first making workshop
  • Show funders that the bus is needed and loved 

Join us for the Journey (no need to buckle up!) 

The exciting bit is you can be involved with the future of the bus.

  • Be part of the design process - give feedback on the plans and vote for your favourite ideas
  • Join our workshops taught by talented local artists and craft people to make fittings for the bus 
  • Become a member of our community forums 
  • Be part of the creation of a community asset that you and your friends can use 

We are working with a brilliant team of local makers to design a series of touring workshops that will pop-up in a location near you, inviting you to come and make fittings for the bus. These could be anything from  a stool, to a coat hook, to seat coverings.  Even tell us what you fancy making! 

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By supporting our crowdfunder you will be helping to create a community asset for the people of Manchester, that is beautifully designed, functional and built by locals. 

Join us for the journey and help us create a beautiful new space for Manchester! #getonboard 

Rewards

This project offers rewards in return for your donation. Please select a reward below.

£5 or more

£5 Reward

We'll honk our horn about you on Facebook and Twitter! And receive updates of our conversion journey via your email inbox.

£10 or more

7 of 500 claimed

£10 Reward

Ever dreamed of recreating Posh Spice's epic bus driving scene from Spice Girls the Movie? Or are you more of a Young One? Come sit in the Commonplace driver's seat and will photograph the moment for you to relive forever. Driver's hat optional.

£25 or more

10 of 100 claimed

£25 Reward

When we have our shiny new bus we are gonna have one hell of a party. £25 gets you a ticket to the party and your very own ribbon cutting ceremony. Yep - that's 100 ribbons wrapped around our bus for 100 ribbon cutters.

£50 or more

9 of 50 claimed

£50 Reward

Graffiti on buses just got a whole lot better! We will inscribe your name inside the bus. Or name a friend/organisation that deserves a permanent shout out. It will be discreet, but it will be there!

£150 or more

0 of 10 claimed

£150 Reward

Get hands on with the bus! Be one of 10 to attend our first making workshop for the bus taught by a local crafts person. A full day workshop that will teach you a new skill and make the first design pieces for the interior. Builders tea and biscuits included.

£1,000 or more

0 of 1 claimed

£1,000 Reward

Dining rooms are overrated. Host your next dinner party on the bus! We bring the bus to a location of your choice and host a 3 course dinner for 10, made by the talented folks at Real Junk Food Project Manchester. Be quick - only 1 available, and once it's gone it's gone.

£500 or more

5 of 5 claimed

£500 Reward

Next stop ... your driveway, your office or your local park. We will bring the bus to you for a your own special event. Host a party, networking event, workshop or recreate the bus scene from the Italian Job (actually please don't do that). Can be arranged pre or post conversion.

Got an idea like this?

Over £200 million has been raised from our crowd to support the projects they love! Plus tens of millions more unlocked by our partners.