Waiting patiently…
Image: Tomylees
We’ve been receiving lots of emails from local residents asking when the Waiting Room will reopen and what the plan is for 2015. So we thought now would be a good time for a little update. Read more
Some of you may be aware that throughout 2014 the Waiting Room hosted a local weekly vegetable box scheme (with Bennison Farm) and an established food buying cooperative. Both groups complemented our own ethos of re-connecting local people to locally and responsibly crafted, sourced and produced goods and services. Read more
Merry Yarnmas
Yarnmas came early this year! The Colchester Yarn Bomb has found itself a new home in The Minories Art Gallery Christmas shop. To celebrate. Our resident craft club Stitch & Bitch created a book about all the things we’ve done and held a little Christmas Party at the Waiting Room. They crafted, laughed and played Megan Fowler’s Tassel Challenge, and made Christmas decorations.
S&B - Alex, Amy and Meg would like to thank everyone that came along, supported the book, the club, the yarn bomb, and has continued to craft with them during 2014. Have a very crafty Christmas and textile-tastic new year.
Photos: Justjaq
Space for risk – time for change
The Waiting Room first opened it’s doors in August 2013 and with your support it has continued to grow ever since. Over the last 18 months we’ve built on the work of our neighbours and successfully developed a unrivalled social space packed with a unique creative energy and opportunity.
New deep rooted relationships and a genuine sense of community have been built around what would otherwise be a boarded up, unloved catalyst for blight working against efforts to ‘regenerate’ the St Botolph’s Quarter in an extremely difficult economic climate.
In January 2015 the Waiting Room will close for a period of 4 weeks to allow us time to review and rejuvenate the space while renegotiating our lease and planning for the year ahead.
Taking time to consolidate and build on existing partnerships and by talking to you our users, after 1st February 2015 we hope to launch an all new improved programme of activity full of fresh opportunities, surprises and room for the all important creative risk.
Join us for a week of festive shindiggery and socialising in the build up to Christmas with Fish Friday, a night of Music with The Dallys, a Festive Christmas Roast and the much loved Story Time with Gun Powder Gertie.
Note: Our call for applications to host events has now closed. There will be a small number of prearranged regular events that will continue to operate throughout January 2015. Please consult our calendar for specific event information and opening times.
CHRISTMAS BITES TO ORDER
Festive bites by The Gamekeepers Daughter
The Festive season has crept upon us, which for many of you will mean a hectic schedule with parties and events, and of course entertaining. Instead of rushing to your nearest supermarket or M&S for some overpriced and over-packaged food, I am offering a gourmet alternative with my Christmas Bites selection.
Handmade in my own kitchen, with strictly locally sourced meat (all within 15 miles of Colchester). You wont find pheasant sausage rolls anywhere else in Colchester, or possibly even in the UK!
Simply text me what you require and when (a few days notice) and pick up from The Waiting Room or I can deliver within colchester for a small fee.
Mushroom and smoked Stilton pate £4.00 tub/ 2 for £7.00
Pheasant,juniper and cranberry sausage rolls. A unusual and delicious twist on the British classic 12 mini for £12
Spicy Cigars- Delicious light filo pastry rolls with spiced sausage meat and apricots , topped with sesame seeds
12 for £ 12
Signature Whole Game Pie( Pheasant/Partridge marinated with juniper,brandy and port with smoked bacon, apricots, sausage meat, encased in hot water pastry.
To serve 8-10 as a buffet)— £24
TEXT YOUR ORDER TO 07592400447. Collection from The Waiting Room in Colchester.Delivery can be arranged for a small fee. 3 days notice minimum required. Minimum order £12
THE GAMEKEEPERS DAUGHTER
Christmas with Stitch & Bitch
This month we want you to help us spread some textile themed Christmas cheer with Stitch & Bitch - our resident craft club on Wednesday 10th December starting at the Minories Gallery from 6pm & moving onto the Waiting Room at 7.30pm.
Flying the nest
In October 2013, I came down and asked about voluntary bar shifts here at the Waiting Room to be asked “do I want a shift Saturday?” I replied “yes” and enquired to the dress code, to which Lee Barker responded “clothes”.
Immediately I knew that I would fit in here but little did I know that it was the start of such a great adventure.
From one night a week bar shifts, to assisting Charlie Stocker front of house, to running the Coffeehouse and then diverging into vegan food, it has been quite a journey.
Along the way I seen the project grow organically: not always the tall tree that was envisaged but one of complex branches and diverse wildlife. I have watched new seedlings grow under the protective canopy.
Like all fledglings, all the new businesses have to learn to spread their wings. Some have the confidence to soar to new ventures; others like me need a little nudge. Truly though, I have outgrown the nest and need to venture forward and test my wings.
So as from Christmas ‘Bobbys’ will no longer be at the Waiting Room. I am unsure yet where I shall build my new nest but am excited about the prospect with ideas buzzing through my head and keeping me awake at night.
I would like to thank everyone who has supported me throughout the last year and welcomed me into the family of The Waiting Room, and like any good daughter I promise to continue to come back and support the project and all the new little fledglings which no doubt enjoy their opportunities to flourish and have as much fun as I have.
Love you all
It’s a small world
Mr Alan Brignull of the Hedgehog Press in Wivenhoe joined us to talk about small type letterpress printing for the St Botolph’s Letterpress Takeover on Wednesday 26th November.
Alan is a staunch hobby printer, strictly non-commercial, and unlike most letterpress fanatics who hunt for ever larger machines and wood type, he is a fan of the smaller end of the type scale. Creating his own range of stamps that are both intelligently designed and elegantly produced, we’re very lucky to have him so close by. He gave us a look at the world of the hobby printer, through old journals, annuals, snatches of historical fact and perhaps even the odd apocryphal tale. We also printed beermats from our (newly acquired) Adana 8×5. The next Takeover is on Wednesday 28th January. Save the date and see you there for more letterpress & type inspiration for anyone with a passion for print.
Chockablock Printing
On Saturday 22nd November we held an Open Day for the public to view and experience our evolving Hack / Maker Space at the Waiting Room. We had four different printing workshops with local creatives & members of the space.
We had block shape Fabric Printing with our Stitch & Bitch co-host and Hack Space co-ordinator Alex Davis. Badge Making with Jack Brigg-Miller who looks after our The Coffee Darkroom. Custom Screen Printing with Tom Armstrong, a painter and man about our who also looks Print space. Plus two types of Letterpress Printing. First up, Paul and Rob from the St Botolph’s Letterpress Studio set their Adana printer to create branded beer mats. Second up, T Y P O R E T U M aka Justin Knopp who runs a letterpress printing & design studio based in Coggeshall. He brought along a proofing press for folks to try with gloruoys G.F Smith Colorplan papers.
We’d like to thank all our workshops hosts. The event supported by the Craft Council‘s Make:Shift:Do - A programme of public events to experience hands on making - and G.F Smith.
Plenty of Print
On Saturday 22nd November we’re hosting an Open Day for the public to view and experience our evolving Hack / Maker Space at the Waiting Room. Meet some of the people and members involved with the space and try out various FREE printing workshops with local artists. The event is part of the Craft Council‘s Make:Shift:Do - A programme of public events to experience hands on making.
You can drop in from 11am - 4pm. On the day we have: