A pair of local entrepreneurs have launched a campaign via crowdfunding site Kickstarter to bring a co-working hub to the centre of Chester.

The CHIC (Co-working Hub in Chester) initiative will take an unused office in The Exchange, St John Street and create an open-plan space for freelancers, entrepreneurs and small businesses to use as a place of work when they need it; rather than working in distraction-filled places such as at home or in local cafés.

Bob Hadfield, a professional photographer from Upton, and his wife Emma, have developed a successful photography business built on top of the natural creative flair that fuelled previous roles in marketing and communications.

Adrian Nichols, from Newton, is a freelance project manager with a background in business intelligence and software development.

Collaborating together as What Gap Limited, they have already made waves looking at better ways to answer common small business challenges and reaching the Pitch 2014 Top 100.

Bob believes a co-working hub is just what he and many other small businesses in Chester need.

He said: “Freelancers and entrepreneurs are finding co-working hubs elsewhere in the UK to be much more productive environments. So why not Chester?

“I know from my own experience when working from home that I can be easily distracted and find it difficult to get into the right frame of mind for work.

“There’s also something about that regular routine of commuting to work and getting on with your day that I miss. A co-working hub tackles these issues in a very flexible way”.

Adrian believes using the crowdfunding site Kickstarter to raise the remaining funds needed to furnish CHIC was the obvious choice for a community initiative like this.

He said: “We’re looking to Chester to get behind CHIC and help us make it happen.

“We were originally looking for office space for ourselves and evolved that idea into CHIC; a place that will not only help us but other organisations like ours in the process.

“We’ve got the deposit, rent, and operational costs all ready to go, what we’re asking for is the help to furnish the space with all of the necessary equipment for Chester’s small business, entrepreneur and freelancer community to truly thrive.”

Keen to bring together a community of like-minded people to share ideas, a preview event was held with city-promoting Twitter account Chester Tweets at the Riverside Innovation Centre, where the CHIC vision was shared with a group of small business owners.

Feedback from the group was very positive. Steve Jones, of Chester Tweets, said: “A co-working hub is just what Chester needs. Having seen what the guys are planning, I see CHIC as an ideal opportunity for local small businesses and individuals to share ideas and learn from each other’s’ experiences. #chestertweets will recommend CHIC.”

The CHIC Kickstarter campaign is aiming to raise £3,300 in just 30 days; you can help by visiting the campaign page at http://kck.st/1ltlByW and pledging as little as £1.

Bob and Adrian will be at Cinderbox cafe, on Bridge Street from 2-4pm tomorrow (Thursday, ASept 4)  to answer questions about the CHIC initiative.

For further details, visit www.chic-chester.co.uk and the What Gap Site at www.what-gap.co.uk .