Employee ownership has given us the opportunity to do lots of things at Grapevine we might not have otherwise. It’s also opened a door to fun ideas. Tonight was the latest, holding this year’s Co-owner Meeting at our local cinema, which has just had a beautiful refit. As well as taking over a cinema screen,ContinueContinue reading “Co-owners Annual Meeting at Vue”
Category Archives: Blog
Time at the bar
I took a photo of this beer last Wednesday at Brewdog on Baldwin Street (one of their earliest opened pubs in 2012) as I had a feeling it might be my last visit there. Today’s news has confirmed this. Regardless of your views on Brewdog in 2026, or any of the years before now (trustContinueContinue reading “Time at the bar”
YATM Lunch Club Bristol
It was great to have You Are The Media Lunch Club back in Bristol this week for the first time since 2023. The long overdue event brought together friends old and new from across the south west, Wales and even Manchester (fair play Judith Rafferty!). A few of the usual suspects waiting for guests toContinueContinue reading “YATM Lunch Club Bristol”
Foundation year
Time is passing by fast. It’s been a year already since I became a Trustee of the Poole Museum Foundation. It’s been a fascinating experience so far, joining at a time when the museum was preparing to re-open following a £10m Lottery funded redevelopment. This gave time for our new board to settle into theContinueContinue reading “Foundation year”
The magic number
Three years ago I started compiling a monthly playlist of new and recent tracks I’d been enjoying – an 11 track ‘mixtape’. Originally these were to accompany a newsletter I was writing on LinkedIn (one has now long outlasted the other).I liked the idea that they were a modern equivalent to a magazine covermount CD and it scratched an itchContinueContinue reading “The magic number”
The EO adventure continues
Photo credit: Marta Handjieva It’s been a busy, but great start to 2026 for me on all things EO. Last week I was honoured to give a talk as part of the fantastic ‘at home’ recreation of November’s eoa Conference, put on by Jen and Jayne at Coda for their team.Mid month Daisy Biggs andContinueContinue reading “The EO adventure continues”
Looking back, moving forward.
It’s generally accepted that the end of a calendar year is the designated appropriate time for reflection, for looking back while we rest, to recharge the batteries and prepare to move forward when January is upon us. Then 1st January happens and you’re torn from the nostalgic slumber and post Christmas haze. It’s go time,ContinueContinue reading “Looking back, moving forward.”
2025 laid bare
Another year is in the books. It only feels like yesterday I was writing the same words about 2024. Time is marching on, tomorrow I’ll be able to say that next year (2027) I’ll be 40.So often I wonder when it was that I became a responsible adult. Back in the summer I spoke onContinueContinue reading “2025 laid bare”
eoa Conference panel
A month ago today I was sat on a stage in Telford, sharing EO stories alongside Hayley Russel, Stephen Spence and our host Arabella Lewis-Smith. The first day of the eoa conference had been a whirlwind, I was still trying to process everything that happened, particularly the unexpected, while attempting to say something coherent andContinueContinue reading “eoa Conference panel”
10 Years of The Force Awakens
Today is the tenth anniversary of Star Wars: The Force Awakens. Kudos to David Tree and team for putting on the closest thing to an official celebration of the fifth highest grossing film worldwide, earlier this month in Fordingbridge – because, where else?On stage in this photo are Lucasfilm Creative Exec, Pablo Hidalgo and CreaturesContinueContinue reading “10 Years of The Force Awakens”
Alternative Exit podcast
Thank you to Andy Farquharson, and Keely Lead from the eoa, for inviting me to be a guest on an episode of the Alternative Exit podcast, recorded live on the show floor at the era Annual Conference last week.The episode is now live via your podcast provider of choice, or you can watch it onContinueContinue reading “Alternative Exit podcast”
The Joiners becomes Community Owned
For a week that started with a celebration of Employee Ownership, it was a fitting pivot to end it on a recognition of ‘Community Ownership’. As of October, the iconic Joiners Arms in Southampton is now owned by Music Venue Properties, a charitable community benefit society (CBS), established to take grassroots music venues out ofContinueContinue reading “The Joiners becomes Community Owned”
Liam Toms 