Try a new church this Sunday - one of Life After Shopping

Today at Wedge we recieved this news of this event. Looks like fun, check it out:

Yes its true the Reverend Billy is coming to East London
Who he? A real reverend from the Church of Life After Shopping.
http://www.revbilly .com
The Death Of The East End Funeral Procession!

Meet Midday (sharp)
Starbucks Spitalfields Market.
Sunday 31st May

We will be holding a funeral procession from the Starbucks in the historic East End.

An area of diversity, clashing cultures and independence, the East End of London has long been a haunt of artists, vagabonds, misfits, anarchists and rippers! However with the spread of global capitalism, and the homogenised pseudo-counter culture that it markets, companies such as Starbucks now feel comfortable hawking their unethical wares on our doorsteps, traditional cafes are replaced with watered down impressions of some terrible episode of Friends.

The Reverend Billy, The Church Of Life After Shopping, The Space Hijackers and Rhythms Of Resistance ask you to join us in a funeral procession through brick lane ending in a sermon and street party.

Wear your black Sunday best, bring home made cakes, thermos flasks of tea, bunting and coffins. Bring dancing shoes and rhyming slang. Let us rise up to the invasion of the bland, let us show these unfair traders that their business is not welcome!

If your planning to come – let me know – I will be filming throughout

Chris
Producer, Film Maker,Communication s
07881-823071
www.ecotube. co.uk

Breaking News! Government helps high street shops!

What a great idea! Community Secretary Hazel Blears has finally taken
our advice and, although we didn’t actually talk to her, our ideas
have obviously wafted across the river to Westminster. Blears last
week announced that there were new measure to help communities
“findcreative ways to reduce the negative impact empty shops have
on the high street” by temporarily converting them into social
enterprises, local art displays or learning centres.

Also proposed are special planning application waivers, standard
interim-use leases, and temporarily leasing shops to councils which
will allow empty shops to get makeovers. Councils can also use
licensing powers positively to permit things like farmers markets
that bring local produce to the high street.

All good stuff, but why did we have to wait until the recession hit us
for any government response to the difficulties faced by independent
shops and businesses? Wedge and lots of campaigners have been
banging on about this for a long time. And let's keep it going.

Shop Local comes to Stroud!

I'm staying near Stroud this weekend. Stroud is my birthplace, a market town in the middle of the Cotswolds with an award-winning Saturday farmers market. So I was mightily impressed when I arrived to see this week's headline of the Stroud News and Journal (SNJ) "Shop Local to support our traders". Stroud, like many British towns, is held in a clinch between two supermarkets, with a town centre full of a variety of great independent shops.

"Shop Local, supported by businesses, councils and the SNJ, aims to boost local economies and encourage a greener attitude among customers and traders" says the SNJ. Not only do they want to "raise awareness of the role local shops play in retaining vibrant town centres and a sense of community in our villages" but also to rid Stroud of plastic bags. Stroud District Council has provided hundreds of canvas bags which sell for £1.00 (with such messages on the sides as 'Reduce Refuse Reuse Repair Recycle' and 'Shop Local'. )

It's great to hear that people are campaigning on the Shop Local issue - but it's a shame that it has to happen.That people don't automatically shop in their local shops. When I was a child, my father worked in Stroud and my mother shopped at Moody's. I would go down on the bus from my village four miles away to stroll around, visiting the record shop and the lovely stationers. As the chairman of the Stroud Market Towns Partnership said: "Money spent in local shops stays in the local economy". And as for the bags - so far there are 11 plastic bag-less towns in the UK. Perhaps Stroud will be the 12th?

Tess Swithinbank

Top 10 cafes on Wedge

We Wedgers spend a lot of time in and out of local shops. Here are some of our favourite cafes.

Swan at The Globe, Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre, Southbank: A new arrival to Wedge. This riverside cafe/bar is a lovely place to meet, sit and relax. A stupendous 25% off all food and drink this April with your Wedge Card, so this gives you only more reason to indulge.
http://www.wedgecard.co.uk/modules/merchant/index.php?op=show&id=420702

London Review Bookshop, Bloomsbury: This bookshop filled with interesting book-finds also hosts talks, events and a little cafe. Clearly a good place to get smart and refuel. We love it. Plus 10% off books with your ole Wedge Card.
http://www.wedgecard.co.uk/modules/merchant/index.php?op=show&id=420527

Tea Smith, Spitalfields: If you like them there teas, this is the place for you. Stock up on a wonderfully wide range and also let them make you a brew or two in their teahouse. 10% off, you lucky Wedgers. http://www.wedgecard.co.uk/modules/merchant/index.php?op=show&id=420185

The Tea Rooms, Stoke Newington: Another great tea loving cafe, this time in the independent enclave of Stokey. Half price tea or coffee with your cake plus, if you take a fancy to their retro tea ware, you’ll get 10% off.
http://www.wedgecard.co.uk/modules/merchant/index.php?op=show&id=420515

Scooterworks, Lower Marsh, Waterloo: Cosy and rather cool, excellent coffee and bring-your-own food policy makes this a draw from miles around. We spend many a day having ‘meetings’ in here enjoying the lovely vibe. Great for parties as with a Wedge Card they’ll give you a free bottle of wine when you hire the space.
http://www.wedgecard.co.uk/modules/merchant/index.php?op=show&id=420609

Living Space, Waterloo: A community run space that has a cafe, internet access and other useful programs in a beautiful light new building.
Wedge offer: 10% off your food & drink
http://www.wedgecard.co.uk/modules/merchant/index.php?op=show&id=420147

Tutti’s, Lambs Conduit Street, Bloomsbury: A real local cafe with excellent homemade food, friendly staff and good coffee. A great spot in summer to sit outside or curl up in winter and chat to your neighbours. A variety of Wedge deals on offer.
http://www.wedgecard.co.uk/modules/merchant/index.php?op=show&id=420005

Brill, Exmouth Market: We like cafes that shake it up a bit and what could be more natural partners than good coffee and good music? This little local cafe and music shop in the always interesting Exmouth Market is a great find.
Wedge offer: 10% off CDs
http://www.wedgecard.co.uk/modules/merchant/index.php?op=show&id=420247

Cafe Gossip, Broadway Market: A veggie heaven with homemade food in an old house. Cosy, colourful and a good place to recharge.
Wedge offer: Half price tea with your cake, Mon-Fri
http://www.wedgecard.co.uk/modules/merchant/index.php?op=show&id=420396

Chelsea Physic Garden, SW3: With spring so temptingly in the air we want to be enveloped in nature. These botanical gardens offer inner city peace and serenity, and some beautiful flowers too. Wedge offer: Concession rate admission of £4 (usually £7)
http://www.wedgecard.co.uk/modules/merchant/index.php?op=show&id=420097

As much as we’d like to, we can’t spend all our time sitting on our derrieres sampling the delights of the cafes on Wedge as there seems to be rather a lot of work to do! Here is a list of all of the cafes on Wedge for you to search out and enjoy. Let us know what you think!
http://www.wedgecard.co.uk/modules/merchant/index.php?op=tagged&tag=cafe

Supermarket lovin'

We at Wedge adore our new supermarket on Lower Marsh in Waterloo. Wedge people loving a supermarket, you ask? Greensmiths is what we would describe as the perfect example of such a store – a butcher/baker/greengrocer/coffee specialist/wine and grocers, with a superb cafe attached (with just the longest table – ideal for meetings). They have brought together the Ginger Pig, the Old Post Office Bakery, Solstice greengrocer, Caffe Antica and the Waterloo Wine Company to provide almost all of your staples for your weekly shop - no fishmonger or cheesemonger as yet, but I'm sure they're on their way. The meat pies, pates, croissants, cakes and chocolates are delicious, as is the soup for lunch, or the toast and home-made marmalade for breakfast. We need more of these shops, where you can buy good quality nourishment, enjoy a friendly atmosphere and know that they care about their customers. And they don’t hog the high street. Take a peek!

The shop is open Monday to Fri: 0800 to 2000 and on Saturday: 0800 to
1800. Check them out on their website: www.greensmithsfood.co.uk

We’ve been away for a while and frankly we’re sorry. We’ve been busy. What with the running of a business (paying the bills, recording of paying bills, arguing with our landlord about fixing lights etc.) and finding ways to spread Wedge across the nation we’ve neglected our little blog.
But our silence on our blog hasn’t meant we’ve been silent in real life (our neighbours would vouch for us ‘too much bloody weird laughing coming from that basement!’ we’d think they’d say). We’ve been up to all kinds of exciting things.

Even though most of us Wedgers are Londoners we are always surprised by how many great things are going on in the capital, often for free. It is to be celebrated that events such as this week’s launch of another great East festival are hosted for us Londoners to enjoy. East Festival celebrates the cultural happenings of our East London with hundreds of events and special shows from 5th to 10th March. The very lovely festival organisers are also encouraging everyone to purchase a Wedge Card to help them get the best of East London (http://www.visitlondon.com/events/east/wedge-card) so we suggest you do.

Here is what we’ll be checking out offerings:

Do Something Different weekend at The Barbican – where Diana will be heading to the kids discos, for her son, naturally, not (just) herself http://www.visitlondon.com/events/detail/4306774

Anthony will be using his beloved bike to Cycle East, where venues such as The Arcola Theatre and St John-at-Hackney Church have joined together to provide a program of theatre and arts events for those wishing to explore different veneues and events with their bicycles. http://www.visitlondon.com/events/detail/4357591

Petro will be trying out the Vortex Tour East with free concerts in unexpected places... http://www.visitlondon.com/events/detail/4414798

And we know we won’t be able to tear Tess away from the food extravaganza of Circus Eat that includes a night of dining accompanied by performance and music by local artists. http://www.visitlondon.com/events/detail/4341348

And while you’re in the area use your Wedge Card! Some suggestions would be:
10% off food and drink at Strongroom, the live music venue with a bar and restaurant on Curtain Rd, EC2 http://www.wedgecard.co.uk/modules/merchant/index.php?op=show&id=420424

15% of your food bill Sun-Thurs at The Real Greek, Spitalfields: http://www.wedgecard.co.uk/modules/merchant/index.php?op=show&id=420688

10% off exceptional teas at Tea Smith, Lamb St E1 http://www.wedgecard.co.uk/modules/merchant/index.php?op=show&id=420185

Thanks all!

PS: We’ve had a few lovely pieces of press these last couple of months. We were written up in an American magazine called Ode: http://www.zinio.com/express3issue=334123976&o=int&prev=si&pg=seo&p=65

And Red Magazine profiled our founding Mama in January. Right on.

A meeting with Mr Cameron

Last week we were summoned to Parliament. We arrived slightly sweaty palmed - perhaps there had been some outstanding bill we'd forgotten about that had been 'taken higher' ? We were then pleasantly surprised to find out that Grant Schapps MP, Shadow Housing Minister, and his party had discovered the delights of Wedge Card and wanted to sign up all of their MP's en masse.

Fast forward a week and we've Wedged up 194 MP's and been visited by David Cameron himself. He talked to us and a couple of Wedge shops on Marchmont Street, asked the owners of their thoughts about the local shop situation and was a generally pleasant guy. He then took his thoughts and wrote a great piece about us for today's Evening Standard.

So we are delighted that Mr C has supported us so. And to make sure we're remaining truly apolitical we're sending out this message to Gordon and Nick: 'join us too!'