Thursday 22 December 2016

Review of The Village Tearoom, Wheelton, Chorley



This tearoom is perhaps more café than creative café but I think it definitely belongs in the project. The atmosphere is vibrant and the food so good that it is conducive to good conversation and a feeling of well-being.
And it is dog-friendly, which is important for many, especially as we are out in the countryside and there are some lovely walks around. I found this out as I chatted to a young lady at the next table. I’d arrived a little early for my National Women’s Register lunch and she was looking after the dog as she waited for her mother-in-law to return from the physiotherapist. Dogs anyway are great conversation starters but over and above that, this café somehow invites friendliness between customers.
National Women’s Register is an opportunity for good conversation too and this was such a good place for us to meet.
The café has an array of unusual and tasteful gifts on sale. This certainly makes it creative. 
I had their lovely special lunch – a sort of superior ploughman’s. I was intrigued to see afternoon teas being served in mini-hampers. Plenty of creative touches everywhere.      

Wednesday 7 December 2016

The Village Tearoom, Wheelton, Chorley

202 Blackburn Road,
Wheelton
Chorley
Lancashire
PR6 8EY
01254 830160


The Village Tearoom 

Reviews 

National Women's Group

Creative Café Project activities

  • crafts
  • live music
  • networking  

Thursday 24 November 2016

Review of The Lounge at Ramsbottom



I’ve visited this venue twice: once when we were visiting the 1940’s Weekend on the East Lancs Railway and needed a main meal and once when I was visiting Ramsbottom with my daughter and we needed an extra shot of caffeine – the breakfast coffee hadn’t quite done the trick. 

This flexibility is the main charm of the place. It currently only boasts a few Creative Café activities but it certainly provides the right atmosphere.

There are formal dining arrangements, sofas and low tables if you just want to have a cuppa and a chat or read the newspaper. There is even a bar where you can sit on a high stool and chat to the barman.
It’s the ideal place for networking, in fact. And I’m looking forward to getting across there again soon.          

Friday 11 November 2016

The Lounge, Ramsbottom

2/4 Prince Street
Ramsbottom
United Kingdom
BL0 9FN


Creative Cafe Project Activities 

Live music
Networking 
Newspapers

Sunday 30 October 2016

Review of Juniper’s Coffee Shop Chorlton



I visited this coffee shop after visiting the nearby Chorlton Book Shop. I am sure the two establishments share customers. In fact, I wasn’t the only one looking through a recently purchased book. There was a couple discussing what looked like a film script- certainly a script of some sort and another couple obviously engaged in some sort of meeting. So, definitely there are some Creative Café Project activities going on there.

The book shop holds lots of book events, so there are frequent opportunities for combining a visit to both places.

As a café in its own right it works very well. I certainly enjoyed some delicious cake and a fine pot of Earl Grey there.  All served with a smile. I shall visit again soon.

Recommended.     

Friday 14 October 2016

Junipers Coffee Shop Chorlton

514 Wilbraham Rd, 
Manchester 
M21 9AW

07450 395293






Junipers Coffee Shop  

Review here.

Creative Cafe Project Activities 

Books (very near to Chorlton books shop - buy a book then go to the cafe to read it!) 
Networking 
     

Friday 12 August 2016

Kitty Banks, Wells, Somerset UK

15 Market Place
Wells
BA5 2RF

01749 670220



Kitty Banks 

From a writer: Jenny Kane at Kitty Banks  

Creative Cafe Project Activities 

Free WiFi
Gift shop 
Writers in cafes

Sunday 3 July 2016

Chapter One Books, Manchester UK

Chapter One Books
Chatsworth House
19 Lever Street
Manchester
United Kingdom
M1 1BY


Review 

One cold and frosty morning 


Creative Cafe Project Activities 

  • Books 
  • Networking  
  • Wi-Fi

Thursday 7 April 2016

Cafe Limelight and Sir Galsworthy Gurney



We visited this delightful café on Good Friday of 2016, the first sunny spring-like day of the year. The holiday-makers were out in force and the cafés that cluster around the beach, canal and river were full and twice as expensive as this one.  Yet it is clearly visible from the path that runs along the canal and has fabulous sea views. It’s pleasant and cosy inside.
We think we spotted a food critic.  He ordered one of the delicious–looking cream teas and hardly touched the cream, jam and scone. He asked the staff a lot of questions about where they sourced their products. All good. This helps to keep up standards.
The café is actually in the heritage centre. It gets its name from the invention of Sir Goldsworthy Gurney of Bude who invented the BudeLight, a form of limelight. Poor Sir Goldsworthy seemed to be upstaged all of his life.  Often his inventions were earlier or better than more successful ones. Nevertheless, he survived well.
The Heritage Centre boasts two galleries, one of which spills into the café. We took great delight in looking at the work of The Absurdists in the Willoughby  Gallery.
The food was excellent.  I had the soup and was pleased that there was a choice of four.                           

Cafe Limelight Bude


Bude 
EX23 8LD
01288 357300








Cafe Limelight 

Creative cafe activities:

The cafe is used as a gallery.

Review  

Sunday 6 March 2016

New idea: The Writers’ Café



We got talking about this at our SCBWI North West meeting yesterday. We’d spent the morning critiquing and the afternoon enjoying a free-writing exercise. I personally now have fodder for three new short stories.
We have an interesting arrangement with Waterstone’s anyway, s o I guess their café should be in the Project. We have their events room for four hours. We all order coffee on arrival and lunch, which is delivered to the meeting room at 12.30. 
Wouldn’t it be nice though, if there were a café that provided prompts like the ones we were given? One where the whole atmosphere was conducive to writing. Maybe it could be “rent a table”, a little in the spirit of the Viennese cafes that inspired the Project in the first place. There is café already in Manchester that charges for the amount of time you stay there rather than for what you eat and drink. Would this be a model? Or a bit of both?
What else?
·         Perhaps Shaun Levin’s writing maps could be available. 
·         Notebooks, pens and other stationery on sale
·         A book exchange of craft books
·         Plenty of power sockets and nooks where you can work on your laptop or tablet
·         Events for writers
·         Reading groups
·         Writing groups
·         Book events
·         Networking opportunities for writers
·         Writing classes if there is an events room
·         Critique groups 
Do you have any more ideas? Do you know of a café that might like to become a Writers’ Café?
We talked as well of that way writers often like to work on cafes and indeed on trains. It’s a way of remaining anonymous but still being surrounded by people.  You feel as if you are still a part of things. Of course you still have real life on tap as well.   
Shall we give it a go?