Just to be crystal (pony) clear here: I'm talking about the Worcester in England! If you live in Massachusetts, you're going to have a long journey to get here...
Who are you?
Officially, we are the Worcester Shires! Yes, it's a horse pun. We like
horse puns. Mind you, it took us nearly six years to adopt the name. In fact, we've been running since spring 2013! A lot of the time we
still refer to ourselves as simply "the Worcester meets", though. Our
meet leader is Pigasus, and while he's in attendance he is the boss.
When he isn't, it's actually me. Yes, really – though the vast majority
of the time we operate by consensus. An average attendance is maybe 6-10, though we do occasionally go above that.
Where do you meet?
Caffè Bolero, an excellent independent place on the edge of the city centre. (Google Map.)
This is five minutes' walk from Worcester Foregate Street station and
also a short walk from various city centre car parks. We meet, as any
self-respecting bronies should, in the basement – down the stairs to
your right as you enter.
What days do you meet?
We try to keep up a reasonably regular schedule of twice-monthly meets,
on the second and fourth Saturdays of each month. The schedule does
occasionally change to fit around holidays and other special events
like conventions, or if a number of people are unavailable, but the standard schedule is by far the most common.
What times do you meet?
Our meets currently start at about 12:30 pm and run for three or four hours, though the end time is a little variable. You're absolutely welcome to come
for just part of the meet if you like.
What do you do?
We sit around and chat! Unlike some meetups, in Worcester ponies are
still a major topic of conversation at pretty much every meet. We do
talk about other things sometimes, but talk nearly always drifts back
to MLP before long, especially when there's something big to
talk about. We also play Chase the Ace (a simple card game) using a pony-themed standard
deck. It's very easy to learn and very silly. We even maintain a championship table each year!
We're not really into the CCG or other major card/board games, since we
find they do tend to divide meets – not the best idea for a smallish
gathering like ours. We do occasionally play smaller, quicker games. We don't go for
mass shop walkabouts either, but of course if anyone would like to
explore Worcester's (relatively limited) retail options then that's
fine and we'll welcome you back when you're done. Oh, and I'm afraid
watching episodes isn't something we can offer, partly because we don't
have a private space to do that.
How much does it cost?
The meet itself costs nothing. However, as we're sitting in a
café for several hours, we do encourage you to buy some food and/or drink. The
Bolero's folks have been very good to us for many years now, and they deserve something back in return.
Talking of which...?
There's the usual range of coffee, soft and (a few) alcoholic drinks,
cakes and snacks and light meals. Prices are reasonable: a
substantial coffee and a muffin will set you back around £8. Ah yes,
muffins: Bolero's chocolate muffins are legendary for good reason.
Indeed, their cakes are generally great, though the range is fairly small. The café also does hot food, often Italian themed, which is good if a little pricier.
Who can come?
Almost anyone! Well, okay, we do have one significant restriction,
which is that if you're under 16 we do ask you to bring a responsible adult with
you. The basement is only accessible by stairs, as is the case in many
of Worcester's old buildings. Meeting upstairs isn't really an option as
there's generally far less space. If this is a problem for you, please
let us know and we'll do our best to sort something out.
Obligatory disclaimer: We reserve the right to ban or suspend anyone from the meet if we feel they would make our attendees uncomfortable or give us certain other concerns. Rest assured this is a very rare occurrence.
Am I committing myself to anything?
No, absolutely not. You can come to every meet, or once and never again, or anywhere in between. We aim to be laid-back and as low on pressure as possible.
Can I bring my plushie/pony shirt/sketchbook?
Yes, certainly, as long as it won't get in the way of other customers, since we're in a public area of the café. As I said above, the staff at
Bolero are very good to us and are tolerant of tables with plushies
dotted around.
Anything else I should know?
Because of the nature of the venue we use, as well as the wishes of our
regulars, we are a fairly strictly SFW meet – this includes asking
attendees not to bring NSFW art or clothing, and to avoid bad language. Please don't deliberately push the boundaries to the limit. And though
doubtless this is obvious by now, this really isn't the place to bring Cards Against Humanity, even the theoretically "all-ages" versions!
Also, if you're coming by train and don't know Worcester very well, feel
free to ask one of us to meet you at the bus or rail stations. There's
usually someone around earlier who can do that.
