Craft Telly Members Workshop @ Graphicus

[Phree]

Time to resurect this topic from our original forum:

PLEASE READ VOTING INSTRUCTIONS AT THE BOTTOM BEFORE VOTING

To recap on the ideas in the original threads:

The idea was to organise a weekend event - workshops on the Saturday and Sunday. This gave us the possibility of this being something that would be up to 4 days (3 nights) if members chose to travel to Barnard Castle on Friday and stayed there till Monday. Members from further afield may find it easier/less tiring to travel on the 2 days either side of the workshop days.

The original thread also suggested that members living closer may wish to travel in on the Saturday and home again on the Sunday evening, or perhaps even travel in each day. The whole idea was to create something flexible where CT members are not obliged to book up to 3 nights of accomodation if they felt they were happy to make to make the journey on the actual workshop days.

Since then it has also occurred to me that as people may need to arrange annual leave, the same sort of 4 day itinery could be arranged to run from a Thursday to Sunday - with the 2 workshop days being Friday and Saturday - it may be easier to arrange annual leave from your work if the 2 days are both in the same week.

Finally the proposed date for such an event was Spring of 2009 to enable people to save up and also to book time off work if required.

Anyhow, I have now heard from Glenda Waterworth, Graphicus would be willing to host such an event for us over a weekend, or Glenda has suggested we may get better rates on accomodation through the week. She has proposed this as an itinery : Travel during the day on Sunday to BC with an "introductory class/get to know each other event on the Sunday night" Workshops on Monday and Tuesday and finally travel home Wednesday. Again I would assume it would be possible to travel home Tuesday evening if you live close enough.

At present I do not have exact dates, instead at this stage I am going to post a poll. At this stage there are only 3 options - the weekend as originally discussed on the old forum, ie Friday to Monday, the Weekend but from Thursday to Sunday and finally weekdays as proposed by Glenda - from Sunday to Wednesday. Once I know what would be possible for people, I can get back to Glenda and ask her for some dates when she and the Graphicus team would be available - we can then try to agree on what specific date would be best for as many of us as possible.

VOTING INFORMATION - PLEASE READ THIS BEFORE YOU VOTE

1) This poll is a mulit-vote poll - meaning you can vote for 1, 2 or all 3 of the choices. That way we find out what days would be possible for the majority.
(With a single vote poll we end up with an incomplete picture of what is possible for people - eg someone who would find either option 2 or 3 acceptable but would find option 1 impossible would be forced to choose either option 2 or 3 for their vote)

2) Voting in this poll is not a committment to booking a place on a CT Forum Graphicus Workshop.

3) You are welcome to vote even if you think there is only a slight possiblity at this stage that you would be able to attend such a workshop.... BUT

4) If you are already certain in your own mind this workshop is not for you and therefore you would never consider booking a place please DO NOT VOTE. Your vote would be an unfair bias in terms of finding out what is best for those who would actually consider attending.

[Wellington]

Voted :D:D:D:D

[Phree]

Bliddy hell Welly..... I didn't even have time to draw breath after posting !!!

[Wellington]

Well, I've got to get off on the school run now, so I just thought I'd get on with it LOL

[sheilaj]

could you give us a feel for cost including accommodation? This is the biggest factor in whether this would be "for me" or not. Obviously it would be a ballpark guesstimate type thingy, but would really help

[Dips]

Hope everyone who's going (or thinking of going) has a great time, but I'm afraid that this is too far North for me!

[nicecupoftea]

Lovely idea - but I can just see hubby's reaction when I tell him about it. It wouldn't be the craft bit of it just that he would have to look after Little Angel by himself overnight. :eek:

[Mrs D]

I really love watching Glenda's demos she has such great ideas and techniques. So I voted as well. I have never been able to get together with other crafty people as none of my friends are interested in it.

[Julie]

could you give us a feel for cost including accommodation? This is the biggest factor in whether this would be "for me" or not. Obviously it would be a ballpark guesstimate type thingy, but would really help

I did a bit of research on this although went down the self catering route as I couldnt find a hotel with decent ratings.

I costed a 5 bed property (nice one) for 3/4 nights, would cost about £90 per person, everyone having their own room. HTH

[Phree]

Regarding cost I firstly need to say that I would like to try to organise this to be as flexible an event as possible therefore, for anyone who lives within easy daily travel distance of Graphicus but who has limited funds available or who simply cannot manage to be away from home overnight, I am hoping we can make it possible for them to participate in either both or even only one of the workshops.

For people who live nearer - say within a 2 hour drive then perhaps cost can be kept down by attending for both workshop days, but travelling to Barnard Castle on the morning of the first workshop and travelling home at the end of the second day, thus only entailing them in the cost of a single night's accommodation. I myself have twice now driven a 3 and a half hour drive each way to attend a graphicus workhop - I left home very early - around 6am and got home again around 9pm.

As yet I do not have a firm cost for the workshop from Graphicus, but based on their current charges for workshops I would expect it to be approximately £30 each day.

Travel cost I obviously cannot comment on as that is variable for each individual, however again what about considering sharing a car? Turquoise and I saved ourselves some petrol money in March by travelling together from Scotland to a Graphicus workshop in March this year.

Julie has posted some approximate costs for accommodation, however I would add there is no reason why we must all stay at exactly the same place, or that we must share or anything like that. In the old forum someone had the courage to mention that for personal reasons she prefers not to share a bedroom - I respect that need. Therefore again I am proposing that ultimately each individual should be responsible for their own accommodation arrangments. Now I will try to get some solid information on stuff such as group rates for hotels, also the costs to hire a large residential type caravan - there is a caravan park right next door to the Graphicus shop so it would be hugely convenient if there was a group who wanted to get together to rent one. I am on holiday for a week in Barnard Castle and will get some information while I am there. Meantime I would suggest that you allow approximately £150 + travel based on 2 graphicus workshops @ £30 each and Julie's suggestion of accomodation @ £90.

Hope this helps. As I said right now the voting in the poll is not a committment, simply a way of finding out which days are best for those who would consider attending.

[craftycow]

I recently went to a stamping weekend, staying at a local Premier Inn, the weekend rate was cheaper than the week day, maybe this is an option to be thought about, I have voted.

Sue.

[Ribbons]

I did a bit of research on this although went down the self catering route as I couldnt find a hotel with decent ratings.

I costed a 5 bed property (nice one) for 3/4 nights, would cost about £90 per person, everyone having their own room. HTH

That sounds a good idea, I'd prefer that to being stuck in a strange hotel room all by myself wondering if I'm in the right place! lol

I've voted, but as usual didn't read instructions until the end (sorry Phree) and I should have ticked all three boxes not just one.

[Wellington]

could you give us a feel for cost including accommodation? This is the biggest factor in whether this would be "for me" or not. Obviously it would be a ballpark guesstimate type thingy, but would really help

Just had a little google about & the B&B's seem to be coming up around sixty-ish squids on average - see here (http://www.enjoyengland.com/destinations/find/north-east-england/county-durham/54.54360338/-1.914974276/5/Accommodation/gacc/Barnard-Castle.htm) for examples

I think sharing may be fun if it cuts costs...:D

[Phree]

Welly thanks for helping with more info on accomodation costs. Re sharing - I would not wish anyone to feel they are obliged to share a room - we did have one member on the old forum who was brave enough to admit that she had personal reasons for preferring the privacy of her own room and I respect that entirely.

However - booking accomodation is something that can be arranged easily enough either in one group all at the same location but with options of private or shared bedroom.... or we can all do our own thing so to speak or whatever. However nothing really definate can be sorted out regarding accomodation options until we know for sure if this will take off. So far it seems likely to happen as we currently have least 7 interested parties....however on the old forum we had more than that, so not sure why we don't have more votes about days that suit best.

I should mention I will be there with the car and am more than happy to help out by picking people up from hotels / B&B etc. I suspect I will not be the only one who is driving to Barney and I would hope that we can all help each other out if this goes ahead.

One thing I am going to ask tho.... PLEASE bear in mind that everyone's concept of what is "way too expensive" for their pocket varies dependant on personal cirumstances. Nobody should feel under pressure to stay at for example a posh hotel just because others have opted to do that - if you have found an alternate B&B or such like feel free to speak out and say you need to keep cost down. I do not have a highly paid job and am not afraid to say that for me the less I spend on accommodation then the more I will be able to spend in Glenda's shop......

Ummmmm did I mention I might buy some stash if I find myself in the Graphicus shop?........ Now there's a surprise eh ? :D

[Little Jan]

Unfortunaltly the cost of staying and travel is beyond my budget,so I will have to settle with the following Tina Fallon, Christine Balwin, Amanda Bateman, Jayne Nestorenko, Joanna Sheen and Kay Rutler from Sakura, all who are doing demos and workshops just 15 mins away in the car,:), not sure about having the pluck to go to a workshop, but I am up for the demos, already have my name down for Joanna Sheen and thinking about Jayne Nestornko as I have to see whos around to take me, as I dont drive and have no bus that goes that way,although I'm sure a cab would be well worth paying for.
Hope everyone who goes has a brill time

[Mrs D]

Little Jan, you're lucky to have such great workshops and demos nearby. I'm in Scotland and although we do have opportunities to attend demos but they are usually much too far away for me.

[Anne]

Little Jan, you're lucky to have such great workshops and demos nearby. I'm in Scotland and although we do have opportunities to attend demos but they are usually much too far away for me.

Phree, the lady who is organising this, also lives in Scotland, as does another member here - Turquoise. They got together for a visit to Graphicus to attend one of Glenda's workshops. :)

[LorraineJ]

Must admit that I was mad keen when Phree put this idea forward, but do have it in mind that suppose my OH does not get another contract (so I get paid). Still its early days, yes I would like to go but I have to be realistic.

[Phree]

Bumping this incase anyone just recently returned has not seen it.