Easter Events In Broadgate

One of the many great things about Broadgate, is that we have an unusually high number of people who do the hard work of organising a hugely diverse amount of community events.

A few days ago, we reported on the many events happening at the Gujurati Hindu Society, these include courses in holistic living, vegetarian cookery, exercise and yoga, hair and beauty, Bhagavad Gita, and computer classes click here to find out more.

If you read the current issue of 'Broadgate News', the free local newsheet that is written, printed and distributed entirely by local volunteers from BRAG and PACT, you will find out about many more local forthcoming events.

Here are just a few:

On 5th April, 9am - 1pm there's an indoor car boot sale at the BAC/EE Club on South Meadow Lane in Broadgate, it's 50p to get in, and you get a cup of tea or coffee chucked in free! Why not book a stall? find out more at http://www.baceeclub.co.uk

If you're more into dancing than scrabbling through bric-a-brac, the BAC/EE club has a FREE DISCO on Easter Monday, 10th April, between 1 and 5pm.

If you're prepared to take a little trip across the river, to the Penwortham Sports and Social Club, then Friday nights for you could be sorted. Here are the acts on each Friday in April:

3rd April; Eric Jones (brilliant vocal, come and have a good laugh)
10th April Steve Power (the man with the voice)
17th April Johnny Grimes (a welcome return)
24th April Lee Nelson (brilliant male vocal)

The fantastic 'New Continental', at the bottom of South Meadow Lane, nestled snugly between the Silver thread of the Ribble, and the mighty arch of the railway bridge, has a shedload of really interesting things happening in April:

2nd April - In Transit: Contemporary Performance from Chris Fitzsimmons and Krissi Musiol (£4)

7th April - the city's finest experimental music night Ear Whacks returns (free entry)

10th April - How To Survive a Zombie Apocalypse: survivalist comedy (£7, £5 conc.),

18th April - Martin Carthy (£8), 23rd & 24th April - acclaimed one-woman comedy drama Me, Mum and Dusty Springfield...

from April 30th - May 4th: The Continental Beer Festival!

Preston Writing Network's first event Word Soup launches on the 21st April: showcasing a writer's open mic, plus Sally Cook, Socrates Adams-Florou, and 3 North-West published writers - Preston's own Jenn Ashworth (A Kind of Intimacy), Chris Killen (The Bird Room), and cult novelist Steven Hall (The Raw Shark Texts). With a musical interlude and a literary short film. See www.prestonwritingnetwork.blogspot.com

And don't forget the book club - the next meeting is on the 6th April in the snug - email catherine DOT cable AT talktalk DOT net (replace the DOT with a . and the AT with an @ , writing it like this makes it harder for autobots to send her loads of spam) for more details if you'd like to join in!

Plus, if you're interested in joining a regular Yoga Class at the pub - Thursday Lunchtimes or after work - get in touch: email info@newcontinental.net for details.

There's an even fuller list of events at the New Continental Here.

Events at the Gujurat Hindu Society

One of the most beautiful buildings constructed in the last decade in Preston has to be the Gujurat Hindu Society Temple, with its magnificent and intricately carved marble dome.

Inside there are a whole host of activities going on.

Tomorrow, there will be a 'Health Mela', an event with over 80 stalls promoting different aspects of health, everyone with health needs is welcome, which basically means everyone.

Other events include:

HOLISTIC LIVING COURSE - 30th March 2009

INDIAN VEGETARIAN COOKERY CLASSES - Starting soon - Register immediately.

Exercise Sessions for all - Every Thursday 5.00pm to 7.00pm - FREE

Hair & Beauty classes every Monday - 6.00pm to 8.00pm - FREE

Yoga for all starting from Feb 9th - 6.30pm to 7.30pm

Bhagavad Gita classes - Every Wednesday

Yoga for elderly - every Tuesday 1.00pm to 3.00pm - FREE

Computer Classes -Every Monday & Wednesday - 6.30 - 8.30pm

Registrations open for Sewing , Hair & Beauty, Aerobics, Holistic, Harmonium, Classical dance, Tabla, Gujarati Classes for Adults

Contact Activity Officer Ms.Dipti Thakkar for Registrations on 01772 -253912

You can find out much more about the Gujurati Hindu Society at their website: http://www.ghspreston.co.uk/index.html

Down by the River

Arguably one of the best things about living in Broadgate is the view.

No matter where you turn, especially when walking down by the river, there’s usually some gorgeous setting that captures the eye. Like these, for example.
Arguably one of the best things about living in Broadgate is the view.

No matter where you turn, especially when walking down by the river, there’s usually some gorgeous setting that captures the eye. Like these, for example.

Damo Suzuki sets Broadgate Alight

Ex-CAN rock star Damo Suzuki played the New Continental last night, with backing from the Three Dimensional Tanx. I was there to see it, and I met my old friend WB there. He's emailed me this review of the gig, he seems to have enjoyed it even more than me:

Hi River,
great to hook up with you again after all this time. I wrote this as soon as I came down from the Damo Suzuki gig, I wonder if it's the kind of thing you'd like to put up on the 'Broadgate Is Great' blog?

Damo Suzuki and the Three Dimensional Tanx played a blistering gig at the New Continental last night. Noone would believe that they had never played together before.

The night began with a gaunt, bespectacled guy creating ambient sound with his electric guitar, looping it artfully to create layer after layer of texture, emotion and power. I found myself gradually, imperceptibly, drawn into his vibe - a cool spacy mellow harmonic playground for the mind. I felt the audience applause was not adequate for the skill and musical instinct displayed by this guy, had his work been enhanced by video images or polychromatic lighting effects I guess more people would have understood the journey he was taking. I wish I knew his name, he's one to look out for in the future.

Then the great legend Suzuki took to the stage. Like a long haired Japanese Napoleon, his charisma instantly grabbed hold of the audience like a bailiff grabbing an old man's throat. 3D Tanx started laying down a sound rocking muscal platform that Damo quickly began to build on.

The musical alchemy took hold within minutes, dark insatiable beats began to take the audience to dangerous psychic places, a thrusting thrumming rhythm that for whole periods of time began to make the whole room vibrate in harmony with the universe. The 60's time traveller opened a pathway back to 68, and the souls of the greats, Janis, Jim, Jimi could be heard mingling their voices into Damo's sideways thrusting lyric.

The audience twisted and flickered like flames, consumed in a cosmic moment where we were locked into experimental infinities, as the boundaries of music, space and time were pushed back, ever so slightly.

Before it even seemed to have begun, the night was over. Slowly we came back to reality, the coolest and most beautiful people in Preston, gathered together in one performance space, each knowing we had witnessed and experienced something that would leave an indelible mark on our essential selves until the heat death of the cosmos.

WB

Wow! Loads more great gigs coming up at the New Continental - it's making the Broadgate the place that everyone wants to be.

Batman in Broadgate?

The man behind a slew of well-known comic books and graphic novels comes to Broadgate next week to deliver a talk at The New Continental.




Bryan Talbot, creator of well-known comic books such as The Adventures of Luther Arkwright (currently being adapted for a big screen release rumoured for 2010), will be appearing as part of the Continental’s on going series of “and talks on controversial, topical and fascinating subjects”, to speak about his work, with a particular focus on his Eisner Award-winning One Bad Rat graphic novel.

The writer and artist first broke into the world of comic books in the late sixties and since then has gone on to produce work for notable series such as Judge Dredd, Hellblazer and of course, everyone’s favourite black-clad vigilante, Batman.

o Bryan Talbot appears at The New Continental, South Meadow Lane on Saturday March 28th at 8pm. Entry is £3.

For more on Bryan Talbot, visit http://www.bryan-talbot.com/
For more on The New Continental visit http://www.newcontinental.net/

Preston Writer hits the web

Preston writer Jenn Ashworth has been featured on Waterstone's website as a 'new voice for 2009': http://www.wbqonline.com/feature.do?featureid=255

Jenn is the author of 'A Kind of Intimacy', in the article she recounts how she slowly found the narrative voice of the novel's main character:

I wanted Annie to tell her story in her own words – the ‘I’ in the novel is insistent, self absorbed and trembling with self-righteousness and indignation. The things she does are unusual and yes, sometimes frightening, but she has a sense of humour, she’s worried about her blind spots, and she’d like to settle down with someone she can talk to without misunderstanding. Isn’t that, in her words, ‘the same as anyone else wants’?

Jenn will be one of the key figures at 'Word Soup' on the 21st April, at the New Continental, the emerging hub of the literary, poetic, technological, gastronomic, theatrical and real ale appreciating communities of Preston.

Discuss the Preston Tunnel Project at the Central Area Forum

A huge tunnel project that will improve storm water overflow discharges into the River Ribble from the Preston and Penwortham area will be one of the key topics under discussion at the 'Central Area Forum' which will be meeting at 7.00pm on Tuesday 24th March at the St Walburge's Parish Centre.

The Multi Million pound project is being undertaken to comply with the European Water Framework Directive, and will help improve local bathing and shellfish waters within the Ribble Estuary and along the Fylde Coast.

Construction work is planned to commence in the autumn of 2009.

At the meeting, the public will be able to quiz representatives of United Utilities who will provide an overview of the project. The ambitious project includes approximately 30,000 cubic metres of storm water storage, several tunnel shafts, a new pumping station and over 5 kilometres of pipeline to transfer waste water at Clifton Marsh Water Treatment Works.

Here's how the Lancashire Evening Post recently covered this project: http://www.lep.co.uk/news/114m-water-pipe-project-to.4952233.jp

Other subjects under discussion at the meeting will be the erection of a new police communication mast at Lancaster Road North, Ethics and Standards and the Role of Local Councillors, a chance to talk to a Neighbourhood Services representative from Preston City Council about street cleansing, recycling and grounds maintenance, Local Policing, and a chance to ask any questions to the various Councillors, County Councillors, PCT reps, the police and other organisations that usually attend these meetings.

If you want more information about the forum, a copy of the agenda, or if you can't attend but want to ask a question, the guy you need is Nigel Heckford, the area forum manager. He can be contacted at the Town Hall on 01772 906372, or by emailing n.heckford@preston@preston.gov.uk

Writers and Readers Flock To Broadgate

Broadgate is rapidly becoming Preston's throbbing cultural hub - not only is it the venue of the first ever Preston Tweetup, it's also going to be the site of Preston Writing Network's first ever event "Word Soup".

This will take place on the 21st April at the New Continental in Broadgate.

It will showcase a writer's open mic, plus Sally Cook, Socrates Adams-Florou, and 3 North-West published writers - Preston's own Jenn Ashworth (A Kind of Intimacy), Chris Killen (The Bird Room), and cult novelist Steven Hall (The Raw Shark Texts). With a musical interlude and a literary short film. See http://www.prestonwritingnetwork.blogspot.com/

Those who prefer to read rather than write will be interested in the New Continental's book club - the next meeting is on the 6th April in the snug - book in advance with the new continental: info@newcontinental.net

First Preston Tweetup In Broadgate

The most excellent Preston Blog has announced that the first ever Preston Tweetup will take place at the New Continental in Broadgate.

You need to register for the event which will take place on the 17th March 2009.

According to the sponsors, Stage 9 Marketing,

A tweetup is where people come together, bring along their wi-fi enabled laptop and/or mobile phone and meet other people. People also twitter during the course of the night, so even if you can’t make it you can see what’s happening and contribute, by following #prestontweetup.

At Preston Tweetup we’re going to be discussing ‘How can the web can be used in Preston Guild 2012?’ As the last Guild was held in 1992 and back then broadband and widespread laptop ownership was a twinkle in a very rich man’s eye.
Wi-fi access will be provided free of charge. The first 50 people who register for the event will be able to receive a free drink, up to the value of £3, on production of their printed ticket.

The plan for the night is to start around 7 PM, allow half an hour for drinking and making the wireless access work. At 7.30 PM we’ll introduce the night’s topic and then break off into smaller groups to brainstorm (you’ll be allocated a number as you arrive) and then around 8.30 PM one person will feedback to everyone what their group came up with. The rest of the night will be free for socialising, idea bouncing and networking.

Looks like an interesting night for those who want to use new technology to it's fullest potential, happy tweeting and twittering to everyone who goes!