Loaf’s tour diary

We took Loaf on the road last week, for the first time in quite a while.

Last Saturday we were at CoCoMad selling bread, pastries, cold drinks and, once the high street shop closed, anything left over in the bakery. It was great to get out and meet new people, and of course chat to some regulars in a more relaxed environment. We noticed a bit of an uptick in visitors to the shop during the week which might have come from CoCoMad, or it might just be Stirchley high street being unpredictable as usual. Who knows! But we had a good time, met lots of new people, sold more than enough to make it worth while and will definitely be back next year.

Then on Tuesday we had a bread stall at Six Weeks of Summer by the office blocks at 2 & 3 Snow Hill. That’s right – into the city centre! Our motivation was to promote the cookery school to people outside of Stirchley and it was an intriguing toe in the water. We’re keen to try this some more, particularly on Tuesdays and Wednesdays when we have capacity to bake extra, so if you have a lead on an office lobby with plenty of foot traffic that would benefit from a pile of sourdough bread for sale, do let us know.

Finally, Wednesday saw Pete representing Loaf at the Co-op National Youth Summit, appearing on a couple of panels. The world of co-operative businesses and organisations is wide and varied so it’s good to bring a worker’s co-op perspective to the proceedings. He obviously didn’t make too many faux pas as we’ve been asked to talk about our new building at the main Co-op Congress which will be held in Birmingham next June. Exciting!

Upcoming SCD events

There are a couple of events on the horizon for Stirchley Co-operative Development, the new building which will house Loaf, Birmingham Bike Foundry, Artefact and 39 apartments. It’s taken much longer than we anticipated but the land has been purchased, the builders contracted and things are about to, finally, get real.

Next Friday afternoon, 16 July, is the ground breaking ceremony where we’ll stick the first shovel in the ground, the press take some photos, and the start of construction is officially marked. We’ve put together a list of friends and long-term supporters of Loaf to invite but have doubtless forgotten a few. If you feel you should be on that list and have an interest in an equitable future for Stirchley, please drop us a note to info@loaf.coop and we’ll send you the details.

Then on Saturday 1st July we’ll have a stall at CoCoMad – our first in a long while. As well as selling cakes and pastries, and giving baking advice and tips, we’ll be talking about the new building and will have plenty of information to hand. If you have any questions, please do pop along and ask!

CoCoMAD going ahead tomorrow – get down and support it!

This just in from the from the Friends of Cotteridge Park about Birmingham’s best little festival, CoCoMAD:

CoCoMAD is going ahead tomorrow regardless – can’t cancel, won’t cancel…
Music, stalls, procession, lovely, lovely hot food and drinks all going ahead.
Wear your wellies & waterproofs and bring something plastic to sit on for the true festival experience – it there’s no Glastonbury, come to Cotteridge Park for your mud.
Bring your Dunkirk spirit and support all the traders, performers, trolley builders and volunteers who have worked so hard all year.
And not wanting to tempt fate the weather is looking better for tomorrow…
Join the trolley procession, leaving from the Friends’ Meeting House Watford Rd in Cotteridge at 12noon – on foot or on your bicycle.
The first band goes on stage and the stalls & activities start at 12.30
Hooray for CoCoMAD and the lovely waterproof people of Cotteridge

CoCoMAD going ahead tomorrow – get down and support it!

This just in from the from the Friends of Cotteridge Park about Birmingham’s best little festival, CoCoMAD:

CoCoMAD is going ahead tomorrow regardless – can’t cancel, won’t cancel…
Music, stalls, procession, lovely, lovely hot food and drinks all going ahead.
Wear your wellies & waterproofs and bring something plastic to sit on for the true festival experience – it there’s no Glastonbury, come to Cotteridge Park for your mud.
Bring your Dunkirk spirit and support all the traders, performers, trolley builders and volunteers who have worked so hard all year.
And not wanting to tempt fate the weather is looking better for tomorrow…
Join the trolley procession, leaving from the Friends’ Meeting House Watford Rd in Cotteridge at 12noon – on foot or on your bicycle.
The first band goes on stage and the stalls & activities start at 12.30
Hooray for CoCoMAD and the lovely waterproof people of Cotteridge

CoCoMAD Preview – 3rd July 2010

This Saturday, one of Birmingham’s best community events is taking place right on our doorstep in the small but perfectly formed Cotteridge Park, about 200 yds from Loaf HQ! It’s a fun, family friendly, free festival of music and arts, that attracts around 5000 people annually, and is now in its 13th year! You can find a full programme on the Friends of Cotteridge Park website, but highlights include Misty’s Big Adventure on the main stage, green wood working and bushcraft in the Community Orchard, and a 6m climbing wall.

Festival food is also a highlight this year with local deli and cafe Leverton and Halls bringing lovely organic burgers and other delights, friend-of-Loaf Sajida providing gorgeous authentic curries, and us debuting our brand new mobile wood-fired pizza oven, and selling Cotteridge Park elderflower cordial too. We’re keeping it simple for the debut with two pizza’s on the menu, both made with a sourdough pizza base and our secret tomato sauce – organic Gloucestershire ham and mushroom with West Country mature cheddar, or red onion, black olive and basil. Come and watch your pizza being made and cooked in front of your eyes, hopefully all in 2 minutes flat.