High time I reported back on our brainstorming meeting last Saturday to generate ideas for the follow-up to ‘Meet The Neighbours’…

Coffee-fuelled as always, a great discussion was had – special thanks to Yasmin, who travelled all the way from England to be with us.  Y’know, not just specifically for the brainstorming meeting, but she still deserves credit.  She’s just moved into an apartment in a new residential area, so she was perfectly placed to help us discern just what might appeal to the TQ community as they move into their new area.

So, here’s the plan:

Saturday brunch, first Saturday of each month.  The deckchair cafe will open for business again, with free muffins, croissants and maybe even the occasional bacon bap, fresh hot coffee, and the Saturday papers.  We’ll be open for people to pop in at any time from 11-1, and at 12 there will be a quick presentation from a different guest each month – all people involved with the TQ in some way – you’ll be able to learn more about the TQ vision, the progress of the Nomadic, the plans for the Titanic Belfast attraction… the list of possible guest speakers is huge!  So, visitors will get a chance to meet the neighbourhood as well as meet the neighbours.

As with the event before Christmas, the success of this idea really depends on a large, welcoming crowd giving a bit of ‘buzz’ to the venue – so if anyone reading this blog is able to spare some time on the first Saturday of the coming months (starting from March), I’d love to hear from you!  Hopefully as time goes on (especially in the summer) we might be able to step up the frequency a bit, as the community of the TQ starts to gel.

It’s a funny thing, community.  In some ways it is one of our deepest human needs – we certainly feel very bereft without it.  But it’s hard for us to take that first step – to walk into a room full of strangers and make the first move to start forging connections.  In many areas – and maybe especially in modern apartment blocks – there just aren’t the spaces and chances to start building community.  I really hope that The Dock can provide something that will truly bless the TQ community and pave the way for lasting friendships and meaningful connections.