Workhouse Coffee’s Greg Costello is going from strength to strength.
Tomorrow he’s flying to Dublin to sit an exam that will certify him as a SCAE Gold Cup Brewmaster and then, next week, he’s off to Cologne “to look at more coffee rig stuff”.
Finally, Workhouse Coffee will undergo a makeover in July (please don’t lose the map, Greg!).
Keen observers of this blog will notice that there are 5 tweets displayed in the sidebar.
These entries are the latest results based on a Twitter search for #rdg, a popular hashtag used to group Reading tweets together.
Still on the microblogging theme, Reading Post journalists now have a Twitter presence:
Stuck for pub ideas on a rainy Saturday afternoon in Oxford, I turned to Twitter and received two replies:
tempted to try a third Oxford pub. On my own, so a bit sad, no?
3:01 PM Jun 6th from mobile web
@mattbrady Suggest the Royal Blenheim on St Ebbes. Best real ale pub in Oxford, sloe gin, mean chilli con carne
3:08 PM Jun 6th from mobile web@mattbrady Gloucester Arms!
Jun 6th from mobile web
Might this blend of Twitter and tourism be called… Twourism?
One of Reading’s most entertaining and popular blogs, the highly satirical MuckspReading, has moved on to the digital other side. It is disappointing to see its passing, though the decision to discontinue the project is understandable.
There is a need for satire (especially as local politics can feel a little dry) and I’m hoping that a new blog, independently managed, will emerge to fulfill this important role.
As MuckspReading’s Mick Spreader (which may or may not be the author’s real name) wrote:
Since muckspReading was set up, Reading now has a burgeoning local blog network so hopefully someone else will take up the mantle of poking fun at the pompous, the smug and the jobsworths of Reading and continue to expose lies and hypocrisy where they see it. Don’t leave it to the press!
Would anyone have an old picture or two of town centre pub Blagrave Arms that they could share with me (please)?
The reason I ask is because an email arrived in my inbox from somebody in the US, who shares the Blagrave name, requesting information on the history of the pub.
European champions Barcelona will be training for a week in late July at Bisham Abbey, near Reading, before taking part in the Wembley Cup tournament, writes the Telegraph.
A few days later, Barça’s old nemesis Chelsea, now managed by Carlo Ancelotti, will meet Reading at the Madejski for a pre-season friendly, according to the Reading Post.
Twitterers, bloggers and other social media-ers will be meeting tomorrow morning at 10 (after they have voted, of course) at Workhouse Coffee for round 3 of the Thames Valley Social Media Cafe (TVSMC), now a permanent fixture thanks to Benjamin Ellis and Neville Hobson. A perfect opportunity to discuss the intersection of social media and politics/democracy?
Meanwhile, Reading “tweetups”, the smaller sessions organised around Social Media Cafe, are going from strength to strength, driven by people such as @craigyd (he does have a real name, honest).
For the latest on local meetings, look no further than hashtag #rdgtweetup.
My attention was drawn to another charity event recently: Reading’s Alive/Mongolia Benefit Gig, held at the 3Bs after the Reading Half Marathon (more travelling back in time here). I didn’t take part in the morning run. I stood pathetically at the bottom of Kendrick Rd, watching, as wave after wave of participants ran past. It was a marvellous sight.
The 3Bs was packed when I got there in the early evening, much to my surprise (I say this, because it was Sunday).
There was a strong mix of people, including families and teenagers (but no runners), many churchgoing. They were chatting away quite happily and enjoying the five-pound curry. A group of performers – Jeremy Rishworth, Stuart Dooley and the Foolish Galatians (a biblical reference, rather than something out of Star Trek) – was setting up.
Pint in hand (an ale of some sort, can’t remember which), I struggled to find somewhere to sit. I eventually found a seat, sharing a table with three charming students from Peru, Venezuela and Chile. I didn’t catch their names. The location also offered a reasonable view of the band, so I was very fortunate.
Leaving the table for a moment, I approached a couple of the band members, who then introduced me to Susanne Koch, who has left a comment on this blog before and who’d reached out to me about the event.
Susanne explained the purpose of the event, that is, to bring live entertainment to the Sunday afternoon slot in Reading (a typically quiet time) and raise money for the Khuslen Education Centre in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia.
I agreed that such an event, held on a regular basis, would be a great addition to the town’s culture. The location, right in the heart of Reading, is ideal, and it offers another alternative to going out during busier times on Friday and Saturday.
With the band playing, I relaxed more and made repeat visits to the bar. Unfortunately, immediately after one bar visit (as I turned away), I struck my temple against one of the supporting columns.
Thwack!
It hurt, and I immediately thought of poor Natasha Richardson. I was focused enough, I should add (I mean, I wasn’t wobbling about). The 3Bs is a great little place, but it’s somewhat annoying having poles (I don’t mean our Eastern European neighbours) inside the bar area.
Head throbbing, I was introduced to performer Matthias Scheja. He and I had a chat about Brazilian music, among other things, and then it was time for me to go. All in all, a great evening (though my head hurt the next day!).
I was recently contacted by a lovely group of students about a charity sky dive that they were taking part in a little more than a month ago, on Sunday 5 April, in Bicester. The sky dive was held in aid of a new one-day festival, Rise and Shine Festival, planned for Reading’s Kings Meadow in September this year.
To find out more about both events, I sat down with Kayleigh Fung and two of her Rise and Shine Festival partners at the Slug & Lettuce.
Listening to the students speak, I was struck by how young (early twenties), professional, committed and caring these talented organisers were. On occasion you read about university students going on drunken rampages in our town centre. This group was a reminder that there are young people who do very good things and make a positive difference in the community.
The WOMAD-style Rise and Shine Festival, I was informed, aims to bring together fresh local talent (such as bands and artists) in a bid to increase awareness of depression and suicide amongst young people.
As the group explains on their website:
We aim to reduce the ‘self pity’ stigma and promote effective therapies, with an open mind to alternative therapies. The forum will be available as a social network for people to gain access to reviewed information and to discuss issues amongst themselves, or with current students in contemporary psychology. Research shows that ‘happiness is contagious and spreads through social groups like a virus’. In a time of combined economic and environmental challenge, the country is facing a period of depression, as young people, it is our goal that the community work together to prevent suffering and maintain good spirit!
The organisation was set up after Jaime Smith, Andrew McGurk and Eva Dobrayzyk very sadly took their own lives after suffering from severe depression. Both the University of Reading’s Psychology Society and Psychology department are deeply involved with the running of the running of September’s festival.
The jump the following day, I’m told, went well. A video of the event, professionally produced, reveals a somewhat nervous-looking Kayleigh sitting in the aircraft with face daubed in paint. In addition to the video, about 50 photos were taken.
The Rise and Shine Festival initiative is an admirable one, and great for the town. I will be adding a Rise and Shine badge to this blog to show support (I personally don’t expect to be jumping out of planes any time soon) and intend to promote the charity as much as I can to others.