
What we’re about
Welcome to North East Culture & Conversation! 👋
This is a new social group for meeting and mingling with potential new friends in lovely locations, and bonding over shared interests. It’s aimed at the 20s, 30s and 40s age range.
Here you’ll find coffee gatherings, board game meets, dinners, a cake club offering convivial chatter for those with a sweet tooth, and some fun days out too. From time to time, we may offer some cocktail events and parties to bring everyone together, as well 🍸🍷🥳.
Our Adventures in Art 🖼️ events centre around not just visiting museums and galleries, but also trying out new creative skills such as life drawing and pottery painting. There are other cultural activities to try out too, such as theatre trips and live music events. For those who enjoy cross-stitch, crochet or knitting with a side of chitchat, come and join our Stitch and B*tch🪡🧵😉 …
We host two book clubs - one for fiction and one for non-fiction - take your pick or try both! We also offer film club events from time to time, which skew towards foreign, cult and indie movies. It’s great if you want to engage in thought provoking discussion! 📚🎬
Sometimes we attend talks and lectures too, on various subjects: science, history, psychology, classics and more! It’s a great opportunity to learn something new and explore ideas together 🤓.
Our events are primarily based in Newcastle and the surrounding areas, but sometimes we’ll venture a little further afield for day trips and some special adventures! If you’re interested in helping out with hosting in Durham, Sunderland or Northumberland, let us know as we’d love to branch out to offer events for young people there as well. If you have any ideas for new events, too, we are certainly open to suggestions ☺️.
We do ask that members use their first name rather than an initial on their profile, and recommend using a recognisable photo of themselves. We are all here to meet with new people face to face! Clarity about who you are when you show up helps both the organisers and the members 😊.
The group is fuelled on the values of friendliness, kindness and mutual respect. We are all adults, so let’s act like it 😉! Bigotry, harassment and abusive behaviour won’t be tolerated. We aim to foster a pro-social environment, so try to be considerate of your fellow members.
Now let’s have some fun 🤩!
Upcoming events (4+)
See all- Smash It! Badminton Social Session 🏸 (+optional coffee afterwards ☕️)Nucastle , Newcastle
✨Buckle up for Badminton✨
Whether you’re returning to the court or simply looking for players of a similar skill, our Badminton Social Session🏸 is the perfect way to get back into the swing of things!
We sometimes go for coffee together afterwards to socialise☕️‼️If you’re attending for the first time, please read on for further details‼️
- Cost of the event:
There is a £10 advance booking fee per court charged by the sports centre (currently £40 per event). To help sustain the longevity of these sessions, attendees can make a voluntary contribution.
Donations link:
https://pay.collctiv.com/newcastle-culture-and-conversation-badminton-meetup-group-68666- Donation-based system: To avoid chasing payments, contributions will be voluntary.
- No excess expected: Any surplus will be used to ensure we can always book a minimum of 2 courts per event, regardless of attendance.
- Suggested donation: A £2.50-£3.00 contribution per person is recommended.
- Personal contribution: KC is happy to contribute £10 each week to support the group.
- What to expect:
🔹 1 Hour of Non-stop Action: We’ve got a full hour court booked from 1:00pm. Chat with your fellow players on the touchline between games.
🔹 Find Your Match: This session is all about matching up players of similar abilities.
🔹 Bring Your Gear: Attendees are required to bring their own equipment to play. (DM KC if you need to borrow a racket - he may have spares)- Event format
- Sessions are casual double matches to 11 points. We play 2 points clear, or first to 15, at 10-10.
- This ensures everyone has a chance to play with and against a wide range of players of varying abilities.
- When a court becomes free, anyone on the touchline can jump into a new game.
- Some people tend to wait until two courts become free, which helps to mix and match the teams around.
- We encourage attendees to swap partners and play against different people as much as possible.
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Time and place
🕓 When: 1:00pm - 2:00pm 📍 Where: NUCASTLE - Newcastle United Foundation. We’ll meet in the foyer around 12:45pm for introductions before heading to our court. -
Important points to note
‼️Parking is located around the back of the centre, off Stanhope Street next to Avolon Court, car parks to the side and front of the sports centre are privately owned 👕Changing rooms including an accessible changing room are available on site. ⚠️I’ve set the attendee limit to 20 to make sure everyone has a chance to play. Please edit your RSVP if you are unable to attend. -
Help!! I don’t know the rules for badminton doubles.
- The service box includes the outer side tramlines but not the back tramlines.
- The server serves from the right if their score is even, and diagonally to the opponent on the left.
- The server keeps serving if their team wins the point and switches sides with their partner. The other team stays in the same position.
This is a great chance to meet other badminton enthusiasts, improve your skills, and most importantly—have fun! Don’t miss out—come serve up some fun, work on your smashes, and get back into the game!🎉🏸
- Coffee and Conversation: Picnic in the Park! ☕️ 🌳 🥪The Tower Café (Leazes Park), Newcastle upon Tyne
We’re a talkative bunch in North East Culture & Conversation 💬! Join us at Leazes Park for an outdoor chat and a cuppa (and a bite to eat too if you’re peckish) ☕️🫖.
These coffee afternoons are pretty relaxed and a great opportunity to make new friends or catch up with old ones. Whether you’re new in town or just looking to branch out more socially, come along and join the conversation 🗣️.
The Tower Café in Leazes Park offers food and drink 🥪🍰🍕, and as we are outside you are welcome to bring your thermos and your own snacks along too! The café also hosts the park's toilet facilities. The café itself closes at 4pm but the park will remain open for us to linger and chat a while after.
We'll take advantage of the hopefully lovely May weather, so bring along a picnic blanket if you have one handy!
This is an open session - feel free to drop in when you can and stay as long as you like. Come and make some new connections! 🤝☺️
- Parsing the Past: Venus de Milo - The Goddess in the Garden Centre 🏛️💗The Lit and Phil, Newcastle
Welcome to Parsing the Past, North East Culture & Conversation’s History Club!
🏛️ 🖼️ 💗
We meet each month to discuss an exciting era and some intriguing figures from ye old days of yore, hopefully learning a thing or two from one another, in the historic Town Wall bar.
This time, with Classics Fest 2025 on the horizon, we’re doing an art and ancient history special, beginning the evening by attending a one off lecture at the marvellous Lit & Phil, Newcastle’s literary and philosophical society …
Entitled Venus de Milo: The Goddess in the Garden Centre, and delivered by Dr Gail-Nina Anderson, the talk will explore the iconic statue, the history around it, ancient Greek and Roman art and the statue’s eternal cultural impact!
Tickets are free, but must be booked in advance and these lectures often ‘sell out’, so it’s advisable to book ASAP. Click here for the link to reserve your place 🎟️.
Once the lecture concludes, we’ll head over to The Town Wall on Pink Lane together around 7pm, to continue onto our own discussion! You are welcome to join us at this point if you can’t make it to the talk at the Lit & Phil.
We’ll be exploring classical myths around Venus and Aphrodite and other analogous goddesses, their role in the pantheon and what they tell us about ancient societies, alongside representations of love/fertility symbols and deities throughout history, discussing their relevance to life in the present day versus the past.
You can research in advance as much or as little as you like (you don’t have to read the book) - just show up prepared for a chat!
Our recommended text for this event is Venus & Aphrodite: History of a Goddess by the wonderful Bettany Hughes, which “tells the remarkable story of one of antiquity’s most potent forces, and the story of human desire - how it transforms who we are and how we behave”, via philosophy, art history, myth and archaeology 📖.
The Town Wall is on the site of the old Gunner Tower, and inside the home to famed naturalist Thomas Bewick; it is located right in the heart of Newcastle city centre, close to the train station (and the Lit & Phil!).
If you get hungry whilst we’re chatting, the bar serves food as well as a wide range of drinks.
🍔🍷🍮Should you come across any other interesting source materials, feel free to examine those instead and share your findings with us! Check the event comments for suggested articles and documentaries 🤓.
And if all else fails and you’re short on time but still want come along for the chat and the chips, there’s always Wikipedia 😉 …
- The Late Shows 2025 🖼️🎨🎵- OuseburnErnest, Newcastle
🎨 The Late Shows 2025 in the Ouseburn – Art, Culture & Good Vibes | 16th May
Join us for an exciting evening exploring The Late Shows in the Ouseburn – one of Newcastle’s coolest cultural spots!
🗓 When: Friday, 16th May
🕖 Time: Meet at 6:30 PM
📍 Where: Ouseburn: our meeting point is Ernest Café Bar.We’ll begin our adventure by 7pm, once everyone has gathered and had a chance to meet and greet. You’re welcome to join up with us later on if you need to, and we’ll keep in touch as to whereabouts via the event comments 😊.
💡 What to Expect:
The Late Shows is a brilliant after-hours culture crawl where local studios, galleries, and creative spaces throw open their doors
🧑🎨 🎶We'll wander through open studios, pop-up exhibitions, interactive installations, live music, street food and more – all with a great atmosphere and plenty to discover and discuss together
🗣️ 🖼️ 🌮There’ll be opportunities to get creative with crafts and meet some cute farm animals too if you fancy!
🎨 🐐 🐑Whether you're into viewing art or making it, music, history or just fancy a different kind of night out, this is a fun and friendly way to explore one of the most vibrant areas in the city
👯 ✨👟 Note: comfortable shoes are recommended – we’ll be doing a bit of walking!
Click here for in-depth details of what’ll be there to explore on the night …
Hope to see you there! 🤩