With the Tech City Map and Silicon Roundabout grabbing all the headlines, it’s about time I gave an update to what’s happen with all things digital in my home town of Oxted, as a follow up to last year’s Oxted Digerati post.
More and more local people in Oxted are becoming active in entrepreneurial initiatives and digital story sharing.
From the classic “do one thing and do it well” school comes Giraffe in a Scarf, to continent-crossing tech firms like Natterbox, and local bloggers Diana Stavely and Allister Frost the Oxted Digerati are more active than ever.
Near neighbours in Limpsfield Village Shopping have grasped the nettle in using Social Media to promote their small but perfectly formed high st, and established favourites like Footprint going from strength to strength, while Big Yellow Bag is gearing up nicely.
So, what’s happening where you are? What are you doing to contribute to your local digital community, and how serious are you being about taking the online…offline?
Feel free to let me know if you’re part of the Oxted Digerati, and I’ll give you a shout out too!
More on Oxted on johnnylaird.net
HT to PhillyClarke for the vid
My Church community – The Salvation Army in Croydon – has been holding a Christmas Concert in the Fairfield Halls in the town for close to fifty years.
It’s a great way to start the Christmas Season with Carols, music from our Bands and Choirs and a traditional Nativity Presentation.
This year is no different, so if you are close to Croydon and would enjoy this traditional family event check out the details on Facebook, email christmasfairfield@croydoncitadel.org or hook up with the Fairfield box office.
Even with a few short weeks to go it’s almost unimaginable that I could drag my carcass around London – only periodically stopping to blow some Christmas Carols through my no-doubt gasping lungs as part of Chapel St’s Carolthon.
Chapel St is an amazing organisation working to improve health and wellbeing in the UK’s most deprived neighbourhoods, and that’s enough of a motivation for be to try and take part in this crazy caper.
I’d love your support – as would Chapel St.
So, you can do that at my Just Giving Page, or the main Carolthon Just Giving page – I don’t mind either way.
If there are other ways you’d like to be involved – in on-the-day support, by running or playing yourself that’d be cool.
Finally, a super cheeky request help me to put some Social Media kick behind this by Tweeting, RTing, blogging, throwing out a shout-out on Facebook, Liking etc etc…you know the score!
Thank you so much…
I have some amazing friends – people who really push the boundaries to do something special to help others.
One such is Justin Reeves, one of a tight group of buddies who are as close to me as brothers.
We’ve shared so many life experiences, and although this crew don’t all live as close to each other as we did when we were navigating a bunch of South London flats, hang-outs and bolt holes in a mashed up lifestyle that meant that it was hard to know quite who lived where, who was crashing on the floor, who was just around for the evening or pulling an all-nighter.
Shared happy memories make strong bonds, so I feel really proud of the fact that Jus has safely made it back from the challenge of a lifetime, having trekked to Everest Base Camp.
Well done, mate. I am in awe
If you too are suitably impressed, you can still donate to Justin’s chosen charity here
Not since this post about Salvationist soul singer Samuel Ljungblahd, have I been so knocked out by a performance by one of my tribe’s music groups.
These guys are a Salvation Army choir from Mizoram in North East India
Enjoy, and be blessed!
My good buddies at Kore UK are upping the ante with their new consultancy site – aheadintheclouds
Matt & Juls are two of the most talented people I know, and I’m constantly in awe of their creative and cognitive gifts.
If you need what they offer, you should get in touch with them.
They rock!
Also, you might want to check out their other brilliant sites; the also brand new and cool as… unrelated sources, Worth the Ask and viewfromtheoffice
For a probably couple of years now I’ve been biggin’ up the fabulous WARdrobe guys and their range of brilliantly designed tees that support the work of The Salvation Army, often in response to particular devastating events around the world, like the Japanese Tsunami or the recent hurricanes in the US
Recently, the guys have upped the ante with a new website, and yet more product.
The latest is the one pictured, the profits of which will go to aid work in East Africa
Quoting from the site…
The Salvation Army, which has been working in the region since 1921, is using its local knowledge and personnel to a number of emergency relief projects in the affected communities including: food distribution in villages and schools for the next 3 months, water transportation to village areas that have no local supply as well as bore hole drilling and shallow well construction to ensure further water security.
Austin artist Curtis Jinkins has designed a shirt to help raise funding and awareness for those affected by the disaster. “Jeshi la Wokovu” is The Salvation Army in Swahili – a common language in the region.
100% of the profits will go toward The Salvation Army’s famine relief efforts in Eastern Africa.
A personal fave is UK designed Olly Gibbs Salvation Army tee – a brilliant reworking of the famous Red Shield logo
Normally I reserve blogposts designed to say “Happy Birthday!” for close family members, but on this occasion I’m going to make a rare exception.
Thomas AKA Headphonaught is, after all, my brother from another mother!
I could count on the fingers of one hand – minus a thumb – the people who inspired me to start blogging, and Thomas would be one of that number together with Pernell Goodyear, Los Whittaker from Ragamuffin Soul, and Lard. (He whose clever blogposts I was concerned had dried up, possibly never to return..but have recently seen a renaissance)
On top of that he allowed me the opportunity - along with the other guys – of getting on board with the Something Beautiful Podcast, which is a great passion of mine, even though of late my input has been tempered by a manically busy lifestyle. I’m hoping to correct this very soon, with one or two fab conversations ready & waiting to happen ahead of being broadcast – you get me, JR and Jimmy Jam 
?)
The Maven-like Thomas gave me so many ideas of what could be achievable – relationally – by blogging long before the sincere pros and less sincere hucksters who make the cash out this medium. He shared a “whole life blogging” style that fascinates and gives a wonderful authentic voice to his online space, sending me in the direction of all kinds of fab music, faith & justice challenges, aesthetic awesomesauceness, dozens of new brilliant friends (offline & on) and cool leading edge thinking.
I’m grateful for all these things and more.
So, all of that said… Happy Birthday Headphonaught!
HT to Thomas for the pic…
Warning: Salvation Army-centric blog post
In the late ’60s, early 70s The Salvation Army went through a pretty much across the board switch from the old-style high collar uniforms to the so-called “new style” many of us wear today.
I’m not sure such a wide-scale transition could ever happen again, but if we WERE able to make a switch, what would that switch look like?
I’d love to hear what you guys thought, or even see some suggestions for designs.
• More on Sally Army uniform at johnnylaird.net
• …some inspiration at WARdrobe..
HT to Saynetwork for the image
