A NEW group in Bude has been set up to promote networking within the local area.

Bude Together is all about informal networking, finding out what is going on in Bude, putting names to faces, looking for the potential for collaborations and joint working, encouraging people to join and support other groups and celebrating the wide range of community-centred activities and opportunities that exist in Bude.

Being at the event is the key thing. It is open to all community groups and members of the public who might be interested to hear about what is going on in their town. There will not be formal minutes or sending information on to those who send apologies, and there will be no technical support — so everything will be kept low-tech!

A Bude Together event will be held twice a year — in April or May and September or October. It is a free event organised by volunteers and in collaboration with Neetside Community Centre. Donations for the cost of the event and refreshments are most welcome.

There will be six five-minute slots, booked in advance followed by ten one-minute slots, allotted on the night, and an opportunity to network. That totals 15 opportunities for community groups to share information in just one hour. Those with five-minute slots may choose to speak for one minute and take questions for four minutes or vice-versa. It is flexible but the timings will be strictly adhered to and the evening will be chaired.

Slots will be allocated first-come, first-served, but with the aim of achieving a breadth and depth of topics at the Bude Together volunteer’s discretion. All groups and organisations should bring six leaflets with them that can be left and included in a directory of community and voluntary groups for future information.

Bude Together has been born out of the recent community event, Shaping My Community, organised by Volunteer Sector Cornwall, Neetside Community Centre and Bude Coastal Community Team. Much of the feedback centred on the importance of networking between local and county-wide community and volunteer groups. Bude Together is based on the successful Torrington Together model, which has been running for over ten years and is attended by approximately 60 people at each event.

A spokesperson from Bude Together said: “It is our hope that this simple but effective event will support good community communication in Bude and the surrounding areas.”

Bude Together will be holding their first event on the evening of Wednesday, May 1 from 6.30pm to 8pm at the Parkhouse Centre, Bude. They welcome community groups, volunteers, organisation representatives and members of the public to come along.

For more information and to apply for a slot at a future Bude Together event, email [email protected] or ring 01288 353403.