All About HackWimbledon

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What is this?

HackWimbledon is what we refer to as a “pop-up hackspace”.

What does that mean? Well, we’ve got a lot of the ethos and values of a full-on hackspace - creativity, hacking with hardware and software and everything connected with that and beyond (3D printing, CNC, all kinds of maker stuff).

What we don’t have is a full-time space with all of the fixings - many of the folks who come along have access to their own gear, but we don’t have a fixed space where it all lives, people bring things along that they need, or share.

So, we “pop-up” the hackspace every few weeks to do something fun, and learn together.

History

Way back in 2014, Dj Walker-Morgan was checking out the Wimbledon Library, and wondering what was going on. Wimbletech was just getting set up, and after a chat about hacking and making (and their synergy with small startups), Dj decided to start a popup hackspace alongside the newly-established Wimbletech.

Fast forward to COVID, and Makeroni was created - an idea for an umbrella group of online hackers, who could meet and continue their makes and tinkering. Makeroni included HackWimbledon events as well as Make Mitcham and a few other things.

Fast forward again to 2025, and the need for Makeroni was gone, so HackWimbledon came back refreshed.

Tragedy struck in mid-2025 - our friend Dj passed away unexpectedly. He was the founder and soul of our group; we were hit hard, and took a pause.

Dj was a great and generous human. He wanted people to meet, share their skills, and learn about using technology for good, together. With the generous support of Wimbletech, in 2026 we’re back, and continuing our activities in his memory.

We will remember Dj.

How it works

We get together a couple of times a month (or at least, when we can).

  • we’ve got a regular meeting spot - the excellent Wimbletech co-working space, behind Wimbledon Reference Library.

  • we usually meet on Sundays, between 12pm-4pm

  • you’ll find the door along Compton Road, which runs alongside Wimbledon Library. There will be a poster on the door; just press the buzzer, and someone will be able to let you in.

  • we’ve got knowledge and expertise: in areas such as home automation, robotics, embedded systems, maker boards, soldering, 3D printing, software development and systems administration.

  • we’ve got some kit to share, and if we don’t have it in a portable format to bring along to the space, we can often help one another out with connections.

Sometimes, a member of the group will bring a project or topic they want to talk about - a “Show and Tell” session, so we can all learn something new.

Other meetups (most of them) we all sit and hack on our projects individually, and get help and ideas from one another.

We’ve run workshops on topics like setting up local AI systems, in the past. It’s not all indoors, either: we’ve run “hack in the park”, and “hack on the Common” too! We are also looking into having guest speakers in the future.

Sounds cool! Can I join?

You would be very welcome! It’s free - just come along.

If you’d like to join in, here’s the plan:

  • bring your own laptop or other computing device
  • if you have one… bring along a project (something portable is good, so you’re not hauling huge robots or servers up and down stairs and Wimbledon High Street…)
  • if you don’t have a project… we generally have power, basic tools for electronics work, and some boxes of gadgets and goodies to dig in to, so you may find something to inspire you.

Important note folks under 18 are welcome to come along and join in - but you’ll need to have a parent come with you, please, and they will need to stay on-site while you’re with us. It’s probably best if you’re aged 14-18 and have a strong interest in technology. We’re able to help and encourage you, but we don’t provide any specific lessons or activities, so you’ll need some kind of starting point!

Fun fact! one of our longest-standing members started coming along as a teenager, and now works in tech!

Code of Conduct

The gist of our Code of Conduct is really simple: “Be excellent to each other” - Bill and Ted

Respect and inclusivity are important to us. Bad vibes are not OK.

Formally, we’ve adopted the Contributor Covenant, version 3.0, from the Organization for Ethical Source.

Please read our full Code of Conduct, as it applies to all activities related to HackWimbledon - contributing code, attending events, or taking part in our discussions.