With 83% of the workforce believe that not having to commute was the best thing to come out of the move to flexible working (results of research carried out by Tally Market in 2021). But, a third of the workforce don’t have an adequate WFH set-up. Working from near home is the perfect solution. It is convenient and allows us to spend more time with those we love in the place we love. 

Demand for suburban workspace has soared by almost a third in the past two years (IWG, 2021). With more and more of us wanting to ditch the commute and stay closer to home.  This is exactly what inspired Freddie Fforde in 2020 to start Patch, with his vision of a ‘Work Near Home’ future. Patch’s mission is simple.  Build inspiring, design-led coworking spaces in commuter towns across the UK. 

After securing an impressive $1.1m in Seed funding, Patch has opened the doors to their first venue in Chelmsford. With more sites planned to open later in the year.

Freddie Fforde, Founder of Patch said: “We have a rare and collective opportunity to make work more balanced, more inclusive and more human-centric. We can now choose to reinvest our time, money and talent into the places and people near where we live". 

Founders of Tally Market - Jules Robertson and Laura Beales- share Freddie's vision of ‘Work Near Home’. Inspired by the events of 2020, they wanted to create an easy way for teams to access to flexible workspace. 

They have partnered with almost 500 local coworking and meeting room venues all over the UK. Businesses that sign up to Tally Market, give their employees access to book on-demand workspace at any of the venues in their network. Including Patch in Chelmsford! 

Jules Roberston, Co-founder of Tally Market said: “Tally Market and Patch were founded on the same principles, that there is a new and better way to work. We’re so excited to have them as a venue partner and share the same passion and vision for the future of work. Our clients with employees based in Chelmsford are thrilled that they will be able to access this amazing venue.”

Laura Beales, Co-founder of Tally Market added: “We’re seeing a trend in our bookings towards people staying local rather than travelling into central London or Manchester. Being able to give your employees access to local workspace is such an amazing perk. It is helping to drive much-needed investment back into the high streets".

Utilising hyper-local workspace can also help businesses be more sustainable. Using a space near home three times a week, instead of commuting can save 0.6 tonnes of CO2 per person every year (Gov.uk, 2019, ‘Greenhouse gas reporting’). 

It is clear that businesses wanting to stay at the forefront of employee wellbeing and sustainability will want to subscribe to Patch’s vision of ‘Work Near Home’.