A club for those with a passion for all things hi-tech from animation and games to film making, coding, electronics and online blogging.

That's what co-founders Helen Stephens and Chris Huffee have created.

The pair came up with the idea when they were working together on a project at Sandbox Digital, a collective of designers, programmers, film makers and tinkerers providing a one-stop shop for digital, design and technology needs.

Helen, one of the brains behind the idea explains: “Chris, who is a programmer, and I were working together and we got chatting about how he'd like to do hackathons with kids to get them interested in technology.

“That got me thinking back to school and to the kids who were interested in tech-stuff, the geeks who were often loners with nowhere to go, no outlet for their passion.”

The pair decided to set up a club where youngsters interested in all thing techie could meet others with the same interests and with adults who could help them to learn more and nurture their skills and passions.

Helen continues: “We started looking around but couldn't find any other clubs in our area and then tried to find some funding to set up. That was the difficult part. We managed to get a grant from Children in Need and were able to run a Saturday club. It was free to attend as the grant paid for staff for the year.

“Our very first session had five children and two members of staff – we were pleased it was more kids than staff.

“The kids loved it so much they told their friends at school and their parents spread the word to others at the school gate. We ended up with 22 or so regulars throughout the year.

“When the funding ran out we thought we'd have to give up but the parents said we had to keep it going – they said their children loved it and were really happy at the club, and they said they were prepared to pay.

“We now run three clubs three nights a week with youngsters from age six to 17. The 11 to 17 year-olds are currently working on our first competition entry which is really exciting.”

Helen says one of the best things is seeing the youngsters - who are often struggling to fit in at school– gain confidence and make new friends. And even better, they keep coming back for more as they want to learn and grow their passion.

“I guess we are helping to bring on the next generation of tech geniuses as they come up with ideas for video games, create clever animations and get to grips with coding and programming.

“We are loving this. It's hard work but we feel like we are doing something really worthwhile.”


Helen's advice for other budding entrepreneurs

  • If there's something you really love and are passionate about just go ahead and do it. It is hard work and all-consuming but you get so much back. When working for someone else you are often just going through the motions and doing what you have to. When it's your own company and you are passionate and determined it's a whole different story.
  • When starting your own business it's easy to get caught up in all sorts of jobs that you don't have the skills or the expertise to do. It's tempting to save a bit of cash by doing the finances, admin and other tasks yourself. But this can be a false economy – you will be wasting precious time you need to spend on the side of the business you are good at. Get other professionals to do the stuff you can't. It used to take us ages to sort out our finances, while a professional gets it sorted in a day.