Why Cool Local?

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Cool Local is ‘Here to cheer people up’ by sharing uplifting stories of individuals and independent and smaller organisations. We encourage people to be positive, to strive for better things and to help each other. We have cheered up the wonderful rugby and charity fundraising organisation the Welsh Charitables RFC, who are delighted to have been shared by Cool Local, and we’re proud that the Netherton Foundry sold product when we talked about them. Check out our Blog here; our Twitter here; our Facebook here; and our You Tube here.

What is the latest thing that cheers us up? Winter athlete Elise Christie, see www.bbc.co.uk/sport/winter-sports/48098972 for a tough, but rewarding, tale.

The Cool Local website is dedicated to the memory of the late author David Nobbs, more on this in our About page.

Cool at the Croft

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We like the Croft Tea Room in St Mary’s Cray in Orpington. It is a small, neat, and tasty place for food and drink. We don’t make empty recommendations. So locally we’ve been to would criticise. The (now closed) Bakery on Orpington High Street for its glacially slow service. The café at Carlton Parade in Orpington whose toast used to be limp, thin and terrible. Not now, from what we saw through a window the other day. The Croft Tea Room does, however, provide good meals and really good home made cakes you can see going in and out of the oven. It is also a much-needed community hub in an area that needs one, and is run as a Community Interest Company with quite a few volunteers, young and old. It’s limited by its small size, it isn’t on a road with massive footfall, but it is a good place, friendly, and, well, good. If you’re within reach, give it a try. Facebook: www.facebook.com/CroftTearoom

Their Trip Advisor reviews make good reading, at time of writing: www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Restaurant_Review-g1637597-d4182449-Reviews-Croft_Tearoom-Bromley_Greater_London_England.html

Cool Bromley and social media on the street

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Ebony & Ivory Interiors, who recently opened in Locksbottom

We talk about and share uplifting stories from across the UK, to cheer people up. We’re now also focussing on one location in particular, Bromley in Kent, to identify the active social media users ‘on the street’ – schools and other public bodies, charities, shops, businesses, and others. The idea is that if more people in Bromley are aware of who to connect to locally, they’ll connect more and be aware of what is going on, what to do, and what to see. That will benefit the people who have the social media we’re sharing. Here are some examples of active local social media users we’re sharing, or who we soon will:

  • Businesses – Teepol Products, based in Orpington, manufacturers of cleaning products since 1938
  • Charities – Bromley Borough Foodbank
  • Entertainment – Bromley Youth Music Trust presentations
  • Food and drink – the new rather good (we’ve been there a few times) place to eat in Orpington – A.MANO coffee bar and kitchen
  • Places of worship – Bromley Reform Synagogue
  • Schools – Bishop Justus Church of England School
  • Services – Anderson Veterinary, Orpington and other locations
  • Shops – Pet Perfection in Green Street Green and Petts Wood
  • Social media hubs – Bromley Gossip on Facebook

Where can you read about this?

Our more permanent introduction to what we’re doing in Bromley is here.

Our local ‘on the street’ Bromley page is here.

Our introduction to some of the Bromley social media hubs locally like Orpington Gossip (Facebook, over 37,000 followers) is here.

A number of Bromley events are also appearing on our Calendar, here.

 

 

Music, new and old, raised up by Cool Locals

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Two separate projects, both linked by sheer love of live music, have recently seen significant success.

Years of effort and commitment have gone into the new 1000-capacity Fiery Bird venue in Woking in Surrey which opened its doors this month (May 2018) and the also newly opened Eel Pie Island Museum in Twickenham.

The Fiery Bird venue is a major uplift for live music in Woking, and built on the long-term efforts of locals who have presented a range of music in smaller environments in the past.

The Eel Pie Island Museum captures the history of one of the more unusual settings and vibes for live music, a venue that was part of a vibrant musical culture. When we visited it, the very friendly staff were engaged with locals working on art for the museum, Long John Baldy was playing on vinyl, and the Director of the Ealing Blues Festival and the co-founder of the Ealing Club Community Interest Company were visiting. It is a mecca of musical memorabilia, including from the late Acker Bilk, Chris Barber, The Who, John Mayall, The Rolling Stones, and more. There was even a display on the history of the local boatyard, boats having at one time ferried musicians and music-goers onto the island. Such places are a magnet for the musically-minded and a vital part of our heritage.

Congratulations from Cool Local to those involved in both projects.