Midlands Nano Meets

Well at long last it looks like we have found a new permanent home for the Midland Nano Meets as our old venue at The Four Ashes pub still remains unoccupied, empty and boarded up.

The address of the new venue is Mind Body Lab, Kings Road, Calf Heath, Wolverhampton, WV10 7DU and is only 1.3 miles and 4 minutes away from the Four Ashes. (If you use what3 words search for rooms.dives.lodge)
We will be there on a trial basis for 2 weekends on 6/7 August 2022 and 17/18 September 2022 but will hopefully continue into 2023 and beyond

For the first time we are having to ask for an entry fee of £5 per car which will provide cover for one or both days, ALL of the money will be paid over to the landlord of the site who will get £5 per car however many turn up.
For anyone who may want to stay over and camp I have been quoted £20 a car per night as the normally locked gates will need to be left open and someone will need to keep an eye on the premises

It is with some regret that we now have to charge an entry fee but obviously when looking for a venue we were never likely to get the same free deal that we had at the Four Ashes, and last week I spoke to over 20 owners who all attended the recent Nano Meet at Teddybears and all were in agreement that £5 is reasonable

Money will be collected from you after you have parked up so there will be nobody on the gate, instead money will be collected once you are in and you will be given a ticket to write on your car registration and place it in your windscreen so we know you have paid, if you return on the next day just replace the ticket in your windscreen as proof of payment

The venue is near to Calf Heath Narrowboat Marina and the business that are letting the venue to us is called The Mind and Body Lab, which is a Yoga and Well Being clinic , they have toilets we can use, will sell tea/coffee and food for their own customers which will also be available to us and I would encourage you to buy something if you can so we can build up a good relationship with the owner as we hope to have the venue as a permanent one going forward from 2023

They also have gardens overlooking the canal which will also be available to us




Directions from the Four Ashes:

Go past the Four Ashes on your left

Under the bridge

Through the industrial estate and over the bridge

Take the next right

Look for the right turn into Kings Road

Take the right into Kings Road

Over the canal bridge and venue is at the bottom of the road on the right

Through the gates

As you go through the gates seen bottom left, this is the area we will be using

Overview of Kings Road leading to the venue bottom left


Over the next couple of days I will add the new dates to the Nano website so please visit there and put your names down if you can make some or all of them

Brilliant work mate.

I'm sure we're all very grateful - especially Quizzie as she's a water baby and will absolutely love the opportunity to have a swim whenever she comes along.

Andy.

AndyN01 wrote:Brilliant work mate.

I'm sure we're all very grateful - especially Quizzie as she's a water baby and will absolutely love the opportunity to have a swim whenever she comes along.

Andy.

Hi Andy.
I think Rob will have to sound out Katrina if dogs are allowed, i say this because with it being Yoga, mind & body place if her members are outside, some may be scared of dogs, or there maybe no poop bins etc, but as you say big thank you goes out for Rob

Good point Steve,

I'll watch this space.

Andy.

I had a dry run to new venue today and Robs directions are easy to follow, therefore it's best to follow those even though there may be another way to it is my opinion, not far away now to the date, so please add your names, and also visit the jobs page if you require any help with your car, Arctic


viewtopic.php?f=206&t=677

Only a few days to go before our 1st meet at our new venue, so I went there today and saw Karina and all good to go , gates will be open for 9 and a reminder if you are there early we have the area immediately in front of you as you go through the gates , there is a grassy area plus some hard standing which may also come in useful for us.

Karina will make us very welcome and is keen to make this work, she is not phased if we only get 20 cars over the weekend but hopefully we can build numbers back up now it looks like we have a new venue for our meets and a reminder that you will need to pay £5 for attending whether you are there for one or both days it is still only £5 which needs to be given to me and I will give you a notice to put in your windscreen which you can add your registration to and will be evidence of payment, it would be appreciated if you would all display the notices on your windscreen when you have paid as it will be my way of knowing who has paid or not given that people arrive at all different times and please bring cash for your entry fee as I do not have a card machine

There will be tea and coffee on sale in Karina’s premises plus light snacks I believe and although there is no compulsion for you to buy we are trying to create a good impression so if we buy a drink or two it will probably go down well

There is a toilet block next to Karina’s premises which is for our use and beyond there is a grassy area and Karina’s garden which we can all use if we want to take a break from the cars and the garden leads onto the canal towpath and the marina so it really is a lovely venue

I will take some pictures of the layout when we are there on Saturday and post on here after the meet ,but I do get a good feeling that this will all work out for us as a new and permanent venue especially as the Four Ashes is still boarded up and empty

Will see those of you who are coming on Saturday and/or Sunday

Great work by Rob above and we all appreciate it, so lets make this venue a good success for us going forward, as an adage can we all take our time to have a good read of the ethos found on the Nano forum written by Paul a long time ago, it as worked for us well and should do for the future, there as been one change as we know, that is now we have to pay for our venue, which i think we all know is not to bad in todays climate.

Copy of ethos below for those that do not visit the Nano forum that often.

( Sun Oct 27, 2013 4:24 pm )

The Nano-meets as we know them today were born out of a simple ethos. Nothing more than the desire to help others.

Perhaps the best way to explain would be by example.

Let's say it's Sunday afternoon and you have a job to do on your car. You think you can manage it but you are concerned about getting stuck in because you will need the car for work the next day.

Wouldn't it be great if a mate turned up and just gave you that extra bit of confidence to say:- "Yes, remove that bolt." or "Yes, cut the blue wire."

That's what Nano-meets are all about. You do the work, but with the knowledge that there is somebody nearby who can keep you on the right track, provide the correct tool or the appropriate wiring diagram as and when needed. It really is a great feeling when you finish the job and it all works perfectly

Over time, the "Nano-meet crew" has evolved into a nucleus within which most things become possible. Not only in skills and ability but also in experience; where are the snags?, how long does it take?, what extra bits and pieces do I need?.

The nano-meet crew is only that though. A nucleus. Everybody who turns up at a Nano-meet is vital to the success of the endeavour and is expected to be involved. Not just in stripping down a car's front end, or tearing the BCU wiring apart, but also in passing a spanner when asked, getting a cup of tea, encouraging, imparting experience, holding an umbrella if needed. Also observing and learning, so that next time you can put your experience to good use. We all had to start somewhere.

Perhaps at this point I ought to say a little about how much it costs. Not much I can say though actually... other than NOWT A founding principle of the nano-meets is that no money changes hands, other than for the cost of parts maybe. I hope this will alleviate the mutual embarrassment which sometimes occurs when you try to put your hand in your pocket for your cash and it gets waved away. If you prefer, the only currency at the Nano-meets is help and enthusiasm

I expect you'll notice a mind-boggling array of tools, specialist equipment, nuts, bolts, crimps, terminals etc. at a Nano-meet. Nano-meeter's spend a lot of time, money and effort in acquiring this kit and overall, most people respect this and play fair. What do I mean by play fair? Well, if you borrow a tool, please return it from whence it came and in the condition in which you'd like to receive it. If you have a missing windscreen scuttle panel clip and someone says "help yourself" he or she means, take the one you need and not a pocketful. Somebody paid good money for the bits and pieces so readily available and as you might imagine, it becomes a little annoying when somebody asks for one or two items and then walks off with a couple of dozen "just in case". So you see what I mean by "play fair"

Nano-meeters give of their time freely and without reservation so if you see a frazzled T4 operator or handbrake mod fitter take a bit of down time for a quick drink or smoke, please be understanding and certainly don't say something like, "Is that really what you're here for?" Trust me, a comment like that really will not help

By the way... it's YOUR car. You take responsibility for it. You decide whether you are happy to let a madman start tearing it apart. We will usually try to assist with most things which are within our ability and within the bounds of common sense. A rule of thumb is that it must be comfortably do-able in the time available and "nothing oily". The venues we use are granted to us free of charge and we really, really, want to be invited back again so it is vital that we don't leave a mess. Please consider these things when deciding what to do. if somebody with experience says "yeah - no problem", great. If they say "no way", then please respect their views.

Cars and people in the same area can happily co-exist, providing both drivers and pedestrians take care. With upwards of 50 cars in a relatively confined area, you do need to look out Perhaps it is best to mention also, at this juncture, that it probably isn't a good idea to park your car in the access to the T4 area and start stripping out the interior The organizers try to arrange things to ensure smooth running but we need a bit of help from everybody

Have fun, get stuck in, maybe gain a sense of achievement. This is a Nano-meet

Nice pub only 2 minutes away, out of gates turn left and immediate right into Queens Road, the Dog and Partridge is at the end of Queens Road

I'm in, both days, either tent or sleeping in car.