Worcester Shires ponymeets

Updated 22nd February 2023

Just to be crystal (pony) clear here: I'm talking about the Worcester in England! Also: we are an independent meet group, not hosted by any other organisation. If you're told otherwise, you're told wrong!

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. That's right: 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 7-10, 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, so you may want to check the first post in this UK of Equestria thread to make sure it's going ahead.

What times do you meet?
Our meets currently start at about 12:30 pm and run through until about 5pm, though the end time is a little variable. You're 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 the main 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 a simple card game using a pony-themed standard deck. It's very easy to learn and very silly.

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. We do sometimes play smaller, quicker games. We don't go for mass shop walkabouts either, but of course if anyone would like to explore Worcester's (frankly quite 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 ask you to buy some food and/or drink. The Bolero's folks have been very good to us over some 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 very reasonable: a substantial coffee and a muffin will set you back around £6. Ah yes, muffins: Bolero's chocolate muffins are legendary for good reason. Indeed, their cakes are generally great.

Who can come?
Anyone! Well, okay, we do have one significant restriction, which is that if you're under 16 we do ask you to bring an 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 one of us know and we'll do our best to sort something out.

Am I committing myself to anything?
No, absolutely not. You can come to every meet, or once and never again, or anywhere in between.

Can I bring my plushie/pony shirt/sketchbook?
Yes, certainly, as long as it won't get in the way of other customers. (So no NSFW shirt designs, please.) 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 swear beyond the language used in the show. (So, for example, "they're jerks" is okay, but stronger stuff is probably not.) 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 Foregate Street station. There's usually someone around earlier who can do that.