The Fourth Tunbridge Wells Photowalk takes place on Sunday 1st of April. The theme is LOVE & HATE ~ what you love and hate about Tunbridge Wells. We are asking you to take one photograph for LOVE and another for HATE.

Tickets, priced £7.50 each, are available exclusively from REDBOX CAMERAS on Monson Road. They go on sale from Saturday 24th March. Each ticket gains entry into the competition plus a large photographic print of your chosen images, which will be exhibited at Wobblybridge Gallery on Camden Road. As with the last Photowalk, entries will be judged by all who attend the opening night of the exhibition ~ one vote per person.

Here’s the clever bit… both of your chosen images must be arranged to make a diptych. What’s that I hear you cry? Well, quite simply, your two images ~ one for LOVE and one for HATE ~ should be arranged within a single frame. The two images can be the same size, or one can be smaller than the other. You can divide the image as you wish, by a straight line or a curved line. It’s totally up to you!

Some suggestions as to how you might arrange the two images are shown below. The staff at Redbox Cameras, who have great experience in all aspects of photography, will be able to help you and make suggestions. They will also create the ‘diptych’ image for you if you wish… just brief them and they’ll do the rest.

And of course, you don’t have to have a fancy dividing line between the two images at all… they can simply sit side by side, or one above the other. But the final overall ‘canvas’ size MUST be landscape and not portrait.

The event starts between Noon and 1pm at FLOWERS AT COLONNADE (the florist shop/café on Monson Rd in Tunbridge Wells ~ opposite Redbox Cameras), where in exchange for this ticket you will be registered to take part in the competition. The café will be serving their excellent teas and coffees… plus a range of grub if you’re feeling peckish.

The event will finish at SANKEYS in Tunbridge Wells, from 3.30pm onwards, where we’ll all be gathering to sample their famous fish fingers sarnies (kindly donated to the event by Matt Sankey) and no doubt sampling a glass or two of their finest ales.

If you have any queries, or to express interest in taking part in the Photowalk, please leave a comment below.

For anyone who hasn’t yet been down to the Christmas ice rink in Calverley Grounds, Tuesday 20th, from 7.30pm to 8.30pm could well be the ideal opportunity. Bring your friends and family and join the assorted Twuttlers & Twuddlers skating around the rink in a suitably festive fashion (reindeer antlers and Xmas hats are entirely optional). It doesn’t matter whether you’re a dab hand at the triple salchow, or have never strapped on a pair of skates in your life… the event is open to all and suitable for skaters of all abilities.

For more information on the rink, click here to visit their website.

We’re told that hot drinks and food are available down at the rink ~ although we suspect that skating whilst slurping a latte and nibbling a mince pie is probably frowned upon. Actually, there are t&cs on their website, so please take heed of the dos and don’ts.

There is a spectator area for non-skaters to watch proceedings and shout helpful advice from the sidelines.

Next Tuesday evening is also the date for the last Bedford quiz before Christmas. This starts at 8pm and a Twuddle team usually enters, so once the skating is over, it would seem rude not to nip over the road to this most-excellent pub to give them some support. But no help in answering the questions please ~ you wouldn’t want them disqualified would you?

We hope to see you on the 20th! ~ Any questions & queries, please leave a comment below.

PS. There is a discount scheme for parties of 10 or more, so if you are thinking of coming along, please let us know. Get enough people together and we could save some money on the ticket price.

Mad Hatters are throwing open their doors (and the grounds of their lovely house overlooking Bodiam Castle) on Sunday 31st July from noon until 5pm to all Twuddlers, Twuttlers, Cruddlers, Skuttlers, Oakuddlers and their friends and families. This event is open to all, so if you want bring people along with you, they’d be most welcome!

The gardens of the Mad Hatters HQ make an absolutely ideal place to have a Summer picnic… beautiful formal gardens, orchards, fields, a small woodland… even a secluded pond! We’re free to use them to picnic in ~ Mad Hatters are even giving the garden an Alice in Wonderland theme for day ~ just for us! We don’t want to say too much more about this… it’d spoil the surprise.

Then there’s the Mad Hatters shop and storeroom ~ these just have to be seen to be believed, crammed to the rafters with amazing fancy dress costumes of every conceivable description. Have a look at their website for a taster of what’s on offer. And the best bit is we’re free to try on as many outfits as we wish… and to wear them at the picnic!

To make the day even more special, a swing jazz band will be on hand to entertain us… and the local Tunbridge Wells photography group (the ‘Flickrites’) are going to be present to take photographs. Simply ask a photographer to take your photo, and they’ll kindly oblige! No charge… free… gratis!*

Of course, you don’t HAVE to wear costumes, and you certainly don’t have to have your photo taken ~ the photographers realise some people don’t like having their picture taken. We are also aware that some parents don’t wish for their children to be photographed ~ in which case, simply make a member of Mad Hatters staff aware of your objection when you arrive. However, if you do take this opportunity, you’ll have some amazing photographs of you and your family!

You are also welcome to take pics yourself, so please bring your cameras.

Entry to the entire event is 100% free, there’s ample parking on site and Mad Hatters have arranged toilet facilities for us. Please note that some of the fields have horses, chickens and (some very exotic looking) sheep. When we were down there, wild rabbits were running all over the place… it really is lovely place, but because of the farm animals, visitors are asked not to bring their dogs with them.

If you’d like to come to this event, please send an RSVP email to info@madhattersfancydress.com. Although numbers are not limited as such, Mad Hatter’s understandably want to keeps tabs on how many people will be attending. If you have any queries, please leave a comment to this post.

*There is one exception ~ Steve Collins will be setting up his photography equipment to help raise money for charity by taking people’s ‘avatar’ pics. This is your chance to have a stunning avatar on your Twitter or Facebook pages. Whether or not you choose to be photographed in fancy dress is completely up to you!

We look forward to seeing you in Bodiam next Sunday ~ don’t forget your picnic!

For directions please click here.

PS. One further thing to mention. Should the weather on the 31st prove inclement, we may have to cancel at short notice. So if it is raining on the morning of the 31st, please check with the Twuttle website to see if the event is still on or not.

Many of you will know that, after two years, Rob O’Callaghan has had to step away from Twuttle so he can work on a new venture. This has been on the cards for some time so we’re lucky to have kept him for so long! But life goes on, as does Twuttle.

I would like to add my personal thanks to Rob because without his vision and tenacity, Twuttle – and maybe even it’s spin-off Twuddle – probably wouldn’t exist. They certainly wouldn’t be so successful. My own Tunbridge Wells Events probably wouldn’t exist either! It is largely down to Rob that Twuttle and Twuddle are taken seriously in the town; the Borough Council, the police, even our MP are all keen to talk to us.

It may look as if Twuttle and Twuddle run themsleves – but over the last two years Rob and Mike Goode have worked tirelessly (with the help of a few others)  arranging our many successful events, smoothing the way with our venues, running the various web activities such as this site, encouraging people to come to our bigger meetings and a whole lot more.

But, as I said, life goes on and there is a new King in town. And that King is YOU! Twuttle has created it’s own identity as a result of the people who have attended over the years, some have come and gone, some are still involved – but everyone has left their mark. Twuddle, while involving many of the same people also has a different identity. And I am sure the Crowborough (Cruddle) and Sevenoaks (both Skuttle and Oakuddle) meet-ups will be different again. All of these events and meet-ups are shaped by those who attend them.

So what is Twuttle? It’s perhaps not quite what was originally envisaged – which was ‘a space where like minded individuals could gather, share ideas and work together on their social media projects’ (Rob may correct me on this.) Although thinking about it, we are not far off this original aim. It’s much easier to say what we’re not – ie we are not a traditional business networking group. Because we are so successful we do attract some ‘old school’ networkers who are looking for quick business. But from what I have seen, these people receive fairly short shift and usually don’t come back. There are far better business networking groups for such people. On the other hand, those who appreciate an eclectic mix of social, community, technical (and occasionally business!) related chat will find Twuttle just their cup of tea – or coffee! Both of which are expertly served by our hosts, Paul and Viv, who run the Divinity Café at the Trinity Theatre. Thanks must go to them, and indeed the Trinity Theatre, for their continued support.

So Twuttle goes on. Without doubt it’s character will continue to change, influenced by the people who attend. Rob will certainly be missed, not only for what he has done, but also for his cheery and enthusiastic demeanour. But I am equally sure that come next Wednesday there will be 30 or more people at the Trinity café indulging in what Twuttle does best. – whatever that is!

Several people have volunteered to assist in running the group and I will be talking to them over the next week or so to see what help each person can offer. If you have any views on what works well, or what could be done differently, please use this post to let us know. Or alternatively, just grab me next Wednesday morning.

So it’s same time, same place… Twuttle lives on!

Dave Barnett

Davey has been the other person keeping twuttle running ~ I haven’t been doing this on my own Its time for more people to get involved and help run/shape its future.

Can you help run twuttle?

Rob.

Almost a year to the day from the very first Tunbridge Wells Photowalk, we’re pleased to announce a special Christmas ‘walk on December 29th ~ the Wednesday between Christmas and New Year. Starting at noon from the Divinity Café (at the Trinity Theatre), the Photowalk will end at 3pm at Sankeys on Mount Ephraim.

Wednesday morning is of course when Twuttle takes place at Café Divinity ~ I’m sure many of us will go along to that (Twuttle starts at 10am) and then take part in the Photowalk afterwards.

Tickets are only £5 in advance, per entrant ~ available from this Saturday (18th December) from RedBox Cameras on Monson Rd, Wobblybridge Gallery in Camden Rd, and Achieve More Café in Vale Rd. You can also buy tickets on the day of the ‘walk, priced £7.50.

THE BRIEF
The ‘walk will be in three separate stages ~ with a different ‘brief’ for each one. The first brief will be given at Divinity… together with the location for the where the second and third briefs can be collected. Don’t worry, we won’t be asking you to walk too far ~ all locations will be within Tunbridge Wells town centre. The walk will finish at 3pm (before sundown) at Sankeys ~ where we can all partake in a reviving drink or two! (and who knows, we may even be able to convince Matt and his staff to lay on some grub… watch this space!).

FILM! DIGITAL! ~ EVEN MOBILE PHONES!
This time around we’re not restricting the ‘walk to just one medium ~ by popular demand we’re opening it up to ANY device that can capture images ~ including mobile phones! You will be asked to choose ONE image you have taken for each of the three briefs. These do not have to be handed in at Sankeys ~ you have until Saturday 15th January to make your choice ~ and even (also by popular demand) digitally manipulate said image(s) if you wish. Your chosen images need to be taken to RedBox, where the staff will make prints for an exhibition at the Wobblybridge Gallery (date to be confirmed ~ likely to be only a couple of weeks later).

THE CATEGORIES
The images from the Photowalk will be judged in the following categories:
1 ~ Best shot from brief one
2 ~ Best shot from brief two
3 ~ Best shot from brief three
4 ~ Best photograph shot using film (judged from all three briefs)
5 ~ Best image shot using a mobile phone (judged from all three briefs)
6 ~ Best example of digital manipulation (judged from all three briefs)
7 ~ Best ‘series’ ~ a complete set of all three images, one for each brief
8 ~ Best overall photograph/image (judged from all three briefs).

JUDGING
As with last time, everyone who attends the opening night of the exhibition at Wobblybridge Gallery will get a chance to vote. Each person will be allowed to cast one vote in each category.

~~~

Thanks to all those who are making this Photowalk possible ~ Paul & Viv at Divinity Café, Paul at Wobblybridge, Olly and staff at RedBox Cameras, Matt and his team at Sankeys and Ruth and her team at the Achieve More Café.

Please feel free to leave comments below and ask any questions ~ your support and feedback is essential to the continued running of these events.

STOP PRESS!

Great news! Ruth Malone’s Achieve More Café on Vale Rd (near T Wells station) will be serving lunch for photowalkers on 29 Dec. Sounds to us like the ideal place to take a break from all that creative snapping. Ruth has promised a range of lunch options as well as great tea and coffee. See you there!

Not forgetting of course that snacks plus tea and coffee (breakfast, brunch or even an early lunch!) will be available from Café Divinity before the photowalk starts at 12 noon.

UPDATE: Due to popular demand, the bookclub will now start from 7pm rather than 7.30. All other details remain the same. Looking forward to seeing you all on the 13th!

For all those who love reading, here’s a date for your diaries… the first ‘Monday Night Bookclub’ at Divinty Café (in association with Twuddle) will be held on the 13th September (a Monday of course!) from 7.30pm. All welcome.

For the first meet, we’ve chosen a book to get us all going – The Little Stranger by Sarah Waters (ISBN978-1-84408-606-1). For this first book, you’ll need to either borrow it from the library or buy a copy. In the future we will be able to arrange a group order via TW library and/or get a group discount at Waterstones for chosen titles.

The intention for future meetings is for one person to choose the next book. We will take it in turns to choose – hopefully ensuring a wide variety of books for us to read as the months go by.

And here’s the special bit… each meeting, not only are we going to chat about the book, drink the lovely tea, coffee wine or beer (available from Divinity Café), we plan to have something naughty to eat! A special dessert. Please register your interest by leaving a comment below so we can work out numbers for the dessert. To cover dessert costs, we’ll collect a nominal sum from you on the night – it won’t be much we promise! Otherwise the event is completely free and open to all.

The ‘Monday Night Bookclub’ will be held monthly. For more information contact Laura Goode on 07788 794831 or on email: laura@hophousedesign.co.uk.

It is with great pleasure, we announce that Twuttle is moving to the Divinity Café at the Trinity Theatre for the Summer Season. The first Twuttle at the new venue will be on Wednesday 28th July. Usual start time of 10am until noon-ish.

Paul And Viv at Divinity will be looking after us, serving their renowned coffee and tea, plus a range of fantastic food ~ a first for Twuttle! Watch this space for some special and exclusive Divinity offers just for us! Breakfast at Divinity before Twuttle anyone?

Café Divinity has free wi-fi… and something to be taken advantage of for these superb summer mornings, an outside space!

As-ever, Twuttle welcomes EVERYONE. This is networking for people who don’t normally do networking. It’s your chance to meet people in this vibrant community, to make business contacts, friends and generally to chew the cud with like-minded souls. It’s fun, friendly and rewarding. Hope to see you there!

PS. Watch out for an announcement soon re the Twuddle Summer Season as well! Still confused about what’s a Twuttle and what’s a Twuddle? Then click here.

STOP PRESS!
Divinity Café are kindly supplying FREE either a toasted teacake, a small croissant or a cinnamon & raisin bagel with each tea or coffee bought at their first Twuttle! ~ While stocks last, so please try and get there early.

Crafty Crapchat

July 26th 2010 from 18:00.
Divinity Café, Trinity Theatre.

Nametags to sew into school uniforms? Buttons to be sewn on? Seams to be mended? Do you have a to-do pile of clothing lurking in a darkened corner of your home? Well, why don’t you bring your pile of tedium along to Trinity on Monday night and do it there? That way, you can have a glass of wine and engage in witty chitchat whilst you work. Then it won’t seem like such a boring chore at all. Or you can bring fun stuff to do. Like knitting. Or cross-stitch. Or Etch-A-Sketch. Or even just yourself. See you there!

Sunday 25 July 2010, 12 onwards

Trinity Arts Centre Gardens (Church Road)

We’ve joined forces with Trinity and local residents in organising a picnic for regular twuddlers and twuttlers, as well as their friends and family – no school to worry about and lots of room to run around safely!

Bring your own picnic and share – although Divinity Cafe will be there as usual and in addition I am told a Pimms tent has been organised from 2 o’clock by the Trinity Theatre Company to coincide with the run of its summer play, the Oscar Wilde classic The Importance of Being Earnest.

Just claim a spot, put down your picnic blanket, and make yourself at home.  No fighting over the picnic tables that have been recently installed in the garden!

See you there!