Fancy a Tweet Up?

Last updated at 20:31, Monday, 01 February 2010

Twitterers in Ulverston are preparing for the town’s first Tweet-up. Users of popular social networking website, Twitter, are all welcome to come along and join in at The Mill, Ulverston, on Tuesday 9 February for a social get-together with a difference.

New York, London and San Francisco have all hosted numerous Tweet-ups, but with the ever-growing popularity of Twitter, the craze has expanded to towns and cities all over the world.

Now the first event of its kind has come to Ulverston.

A Tweet-up is a social gathering for users of Twitter, giving them the chance to meet their online buddies in the flesh.

Businesses are using Twitter more and more, and this is a great chance for businessmen and women to meet each other, swap business cards and network with each other.

Ulverston’s first Tweet-up is being arranged by Kay Hebbourn, an internet marketer and entrepreneurial coach. Kay hopes to attract as large a following as possible, as she is passionate about the local community, and keen to show people the importance and appeal of using social networking web sites.

She said: “I’m amazed by the level of interest there has been already. I thought I knew all of the local businesses in Ulverston, but more and more keep getting in touch to say they want to come.”

Ulverston student Catherine Courtman will be attending the Tweet-up as she hopes to raise funds for CancerCare, a local charity dedicated to the support of people with cancer. After recovering from Hodgkin’s Lymphoma, 18-year-old Catherine has been set a fundraising task by CancerCare.

They gave her £25, which in three months, has to be turned into as much money as possible, through donations and fundraising. All proceeds will go to CancerCare.

Catherine, her hard-working fundraising team, and CancerCare will be at the Tweet-up not just for fundraising, but to help raise awareness of cancer.

There will be music and nibbles at the event, and a chance to win a free bottle of wine. Depending on the success and popularity of the Tweet-up, Kay Hebbourn hopes to organise a Twestival later in the year, as a way of celebrating all things local, not just for one evening, but for a whole weekend.

“It would be great if the Twestival could coincide with Stan Laurel’s birthday in June. That would help bring tourists to Ulverston, and Twitterers from all over the UK would be interested.”

The Twestival would be a weekend of activities and entertainment for everyone in the community, and be a major draw for tourism in the summer.

The Tweet-up will start at 5pm on 9 February, all are welcome, even those who aren’t yet involved on Twitter. You can RSVP to the event via www.twtvite.com and searching for ‘Ulverston’. This is a great opportunity to see the benefits of networking online.