British LUGs and events?

[Redimus]

I'm getting to a point where I'm starting to feel it'd be really nice to have some people in real life to get inspiration from and bounce ideas off of. Sure there's you guys (who have been *really* helpful on my most recent build), Google image search and Flicker, but it's not the same as going somewhere, seeing real people, showing your stuff off, letting them show their stuff off to you and just socialising in real time.

So are there others from the County Durham area who are already in a group or interested in getting together to form an informal group? Also, are there any members of the Yorkshire based group here who could tell me about their group (it's not ideal, but bits of Yorkshire aren't too far away from me?

Finally are there any other Lego events other than the Great Western Lego Show (which looks awesome and all, but is far too far away and far too Great Western for my tastes! :P )?

[L@go]

Hi!

I'm certainly not British, but if I lived in the UK I would definitely join Brickish. I'm considering doing it anyway - if there's a way to become a member at STEAM (the Great Western Brick Show) I probably will. I went there last year and enjoyed it immensely - and I'll be back in a week and a half. Don't quite know what you mean by "too Great Western"? There's something for every taste there, it's absolutely not just trains. Here's a few pictures from last year.

There's also BRICK 2014 in London in late November (that's the show that used to be The LEGO Show in Manchester) and, if you're interested in interacting with fellow builders, AFOLCON which coincides with BRICK 2014. Check out the links - maybe I'll see you at one of the events :)

Edited September 22, 2014 by L@go

[Redimus]

It's a UK railway enthusiast thing, anyone who's favourite big 4 company isn't the GWR tends to list the GWR as their least favourite. I don't really think the GWR was rubbish, just don't tell any of those GWR fans that! :P

I've seen some video on youtube and photos elsewhere of some of the previous year's railway inspired stuff at the Great Western Brick Show, and there's no doubt I'd love to visit on year if I can manage to get down there.

The main thing I'm looking for is a way to meet up with fellow AFOLs, do those clubs allow for that? From my (admittedly quick) look at Brickish's homepage the other day, I wasn't sure what exactly I was getting for my membership other than another, slightly more specialised, forum and a nice regular news letter.

[L@go]

I just thought it was a bit strange to be concerned with the GWR as long as the builds on display are far from GWR themed. But if the venue is a problem... well, there's not much you can do about that :)

Regarding what the clubs allow for, I'll leave that to be answered by some of the Britons on here who are actually members. But do consider either STEAM or The Brick Show - there'll be plenty to see and, not least, plenty of very nice people to talk to.

[snaillad]

Hi there, I live in the local vicinity but as far as I've found there is no local LUG's or groups in the area. More sadly there is next to no MOC representation at the most local Lego store at the Metrocentre.

I do agree with L@go that joining Brickish would be a good idea, I seem to remember a while back seeing a post from a member saying something about a small show in Sunderland but can't remember where it was, maybe another site other than EB.

I'm attending Brick 2014 in London on the Saturday so maybe ill find more about some local groups down there!

[andhe]

Are you on the Brickset forum? I tend to find there's a greater percentage (or maybe just higher concentration) of Brits on there, so you may find people in your local area. I know what you mean about Brickish, I think you really have to be heavily into displaying/building for events to get the real benefits (eg LUGbulk).

[Big Sal]

Hi Redimus - I'm a member of Brickshire (the Yorkshire LUG), and I'll happily answer any questions you have. We have meetups every few months for socialising and showing MOCs

There's also Northern Brickworks, who cover the whole of the north, rather than just Yorkshire, so they might be worth checking out.