Chapeau! A change to Creative in Colchester

Thursday 7 June
7.30pm til late
@ Chapeau (location TBC)
Members & Guests Free, Non-Members £10 donation
RSVP

We’re shaking things up a bit and for one month we’re taking our monthly Creative in Colchester Meetup out on Tour.  

The next meet up will be moved to Thursday 7th June and will be hosted at the opening of an exciting new community space called Chapeau!. A collaboration between Mike Polom, bike mechanic Richard Evans and local charity Re~cycle, Bikes to Africa.

The event will also coincide with The Halfords Tour Series, a national cycle race that transforms the town centre into a race track for one evening.

Chapeau! will be a bike shop come coffee house, selling vintage bicycles, parts and fair-trade coffee, offering exclusive memberships, and hosting bicycle repairs, maintenance classes, evening social events and organising local rides.

Here at 15 Queen Street we are all about supporting local creative businesses and individuals and celebrating new talent in the town.

Expect the usual format with drinks, live music and DJ, chat and inspirational Bike themed talks from speakers from across the country. Whether you are a bike lover, creative or both, come join our evening meetup with others like you, and become part of our burgeoning community.

Bike Jumble @ The Bike Guru Cafe

Bike Guru Cafe & Workshop
@ The Hidden Kiosks Project
Near firstsite, find it on google maps here

Saturday 19th November 10am - 4pm 

If you like a seriously good coffee (sourced from fair trade providers) in a relaxed and inviting atmosphere, filled with bicycle goodies. Look not further than the Bike Guru Cafe & Workshop.

Run by the Bike Guru himself Matthew Lawford, he has used the Hidden Kiosk Project set up by the Creative Coop to take over the space as a pop up shop. The idea is to give Colchester and local creatives a space to try out a concept or business idea for a small amount of time for free. More info on applications here.

Matthew has taken over the kiosks for three months setting up a cafe and a bike workshop providing repairs and services.

This Saturday they are hosting a Bike Jumble inviting all you keen cyclists with the odd interesting bike part and bits (we are afraid no complete bikes can be for sale). To come grab a table from 10am this Saturday and sell your wares.

If you would like more information please contact Matt or call 07889124001.

BÖIKZMÖIND

We were shown BÖIKZMÖIND from flexi member Matt Keeling. This is a 30 minute documentary film about riding fixed gear bikes in beautiful Bristol.

This isn’t one of your usual fixie films, this delves a bit deeper and shows the diverse cross section of riders and asks why ride bikes with no gears in a city full of hills. It also shines a light on the community and camaraderie that comes with the simple joy of riding bicycles.

This is an small excerpt from the finished film, which is now screening all over the world. We are very excited to spot that there will be a showing at the Bike Guru Cafe & Workshop in Colchester. It’s TBC, but we’re still very excited.

There will be a DVD accompanied by a photo book coming out soon. You can register your interest here. 

Guru Time tonight

Don’t forget to pop down the The Hidden Kiosks @ 7pm tonight for the grand opening of the Bike Guru cafe/workshop. Here is a sneaky peek of the golden beast Matthew Lawford (the guru) will be using to produce one damn good cup of joe.

There will be music, film screenings and a chance to say hello to the Guru and hear what he is all about!

Bike prints now @ re~cycle

The bike prints we commissioned for our first birthday party are now up on display at re~cycle. We recommend you pop down there to check them out. You can also experience their workshop piled high with bikes that are refurbished by volunteers and the Bike Guru. These bikes are loaded into containers every few months and shipped out to partners in Africa to become invaluable tools for transport and independence.

They also house a small showroom selling their refurbished bikes for very reasonable prices. On these walls of the showroom is where our selection of prints created by members and local creatives now live. All proceeds from these sales goes straight back into re~cycle. Win win all round we think.