Giroscope is a housing and community-development organisation based in Hull, England, focused primarily on West Hull. 413 It was established as a workers’ co-operative and registered as a limited company in August 1986, after a group of students and unemployed young people began renovating empty housing to address their own insecure accommodation. 28
The organisation’s core activity is the acquisition and renovation of empty or run-down properties, which it converts into secure, sustainable and genuinely affordable homes. 1 Giroscope also builds new housing and aims to improve the energy efficiency of its properties, with tenants able to remain in their homes as long as tenancy conditions are met. 1
Alongside housing, Giroscope develops enterprise and community spaces in Hull. Its projects include restored heritage buildings, commercial premises and the St Matthew’s Community Enterprise Centre, a former Grade II listed church converted into a venue for enterprise, creativity and community activity. 7 These spaces are intended for businesses, social enterprises and community initiatives, with arrangements that can adapt as organisations develop. 1
Giroscope also provides volunteering, work placements and practical skills development in construction, bicycle repair, information-technology refurbishment, gardening and catering. 1 Its programmes include support with training and routes into employment, and are designed to accommodate people with different abilities and needs. 1
Martin Newman is a co-founder and chief executive or coordinator of the organisation, while Rob Amesbury is another original co-operative founder involved in managing its housing portfolio. 911 Giroscope’s work is geographically local, concentrated on West Hull and the surrounding city community, rather than operating as a national or international organisation. 412