A quick little blog before I hit the hay tonight. Dock Cafe is looking awesome as the team pull out all the stops to be ready for the Grand Opening on Thursday afternoon; over the last few days, more artwork has arrived, we’ve got some extra tables and chairs, a rather swish new leather suite, a working stereo system, a step at the entrance door, and a even a fishtank… (the names of the fish shall be ceremoniously revealed at the Grand Opening).

So just a quick message tonight to ask all you wonderful people of The Dock for help, on three fronts:

One – the final countdown!  From 2:00 onwards tomorrow (Wednesday), we’ll be putting the finishing touches to the space to get ready for the opening.  Whether you’re free in the afternoon or evening there’ll be plenty to do – wear old clothes if possible and arrive any time.  By sundown tomorrow night Dock Cafe will be ready!

Two – brother, can you spare a dime?  Dock Cafes don’t grow on trees – but it’s amazing how much difference some of your donations have made.  Think of it like this: a £10 donation buys one Ikea floor lamp; £20 a barstool; £25 a gas refill for the heater; £50 buys the fridge (thanks Gumtree!); £100 a good-quality secondhand squashy leather sofa; £150 a heater… you get the idea!  To make things even easier, you’ve maybe noticed that there’s a new ‘Give’ tab on the Dock website homepage; you can send a cheque as always, but now you can use the wonders of the intranet to donate through paypal without leaving your sofa.  To everyone who is helping us make the Dock vision a reality and bring Dock Cafe to life – thank you.

And three – unleash your inner barista.  Tegan, the wonderful Captain of the good ship Dock Cafe, is putting together a team of volunteers who can spend some time helping out behind the coffee bar.  Much good craic, flowing coffee, interesting people and great times are guaranteed.  You even get first dibs on the tray bakes.  Just get in contact if you’re up for helping out…

That’s all for now – g’night!  Up early tomorrow to meet the guy who’s connecting the water supply!  They never trained me for this in minister college…