At the British Science Association, we are committed to empowering people to bring science to their communities in a way that they see most relevant and engaging to them. We have spent a lot of time considering the barriers that may be preventing people from doing so and thought carefully about programmes that might make the process a lot simpler.

We understand that grass-roots, home-grown organisations do not always have the same opportunities or resources as larger, national organisations. They are often run by dedicated volunteers in their spare time and who are increasingly working within a difficult funding landscape.

Finding a venue to run community events can be difficult

To support these groups, for the last three years we have been awarding grants to individuals and organisations working in their communities to run British Science Week activities. We have been able to support over 320 events through this scheme, reaching thousands of people every year.  

Speaking recently with some of our community partners, we discovered that finding a venue to use for their activities is also a very common problem. You could spend hours trawling the internet looking for a space to run your projects or calling up friends and families to ask for recommendations.

We wondered, what if there was a database with all community venues available to hire in your area all in one place?

We are now excited to announce a new addition to the Science Live site which we hope will solve this very problem! Our new Science Live Venues site is a database of all community spaces available for hire on the internet pulled into one place, making it quick and easy for you to find that village hall or community centre you have been searching for!

British Science Week is a ten-day celebration of science, technology, engineering and maths, featuring entertaining and engaging events and activities across the UK for people of all ages.

If you are planning an event for British Science Week and need support with funding, take a look at our grant opportunities here. 

If you need help finding speakers or volunteers for your event, visit Science Live where you can also advertise your event.