Just a quick note to say, planning for the Fforde Ffiesta 2008 is now close to the point where we can put tickets on sale, and announce what we actually have in store for you. Rest assured it's going to be AMAZING.

I know people are keen to start making plans, so I can tell you it's taking place at the De Vere Hotel and UnConventional Centre, Shaw Ridge, Swindon, Wiltshire, England on Saturday May 3rd and Sunday May 4th 2008, with hopefully some optional extra outdoor activities taking place on Monday May 5th as well (weather permitting - it's a Bank Holiday so please keep those fingers crossed)

However, DON'T try to book rooms at the hotel just yet - they'll only tell you it's sold out, as we have all the 152 rooms there reserved. As soon as we make the Ffiesta tickets available, which will happen in just a couple of weeks (December), you'll be able to buy both a Ffiesta ticket and reserve an hotel room at a special, discounted rate that we've arranged.

Please check in regularly at the Ffiesta Website [www.ffordeffiesta.com] for further information. If you have any questions which aren't answered there, feel free to drop a line to the Fforganisers at: fridays@ffordeffiesta.com

Thanks and see you soon!

Ptolly

Ffiesta Director 2008 and Official Jasper Fforde Stalker, 2007/8

HI
Great news but is it accessible for us dizzies?
Cheers
Annette

Great news Ptolemy!

Having the dates helps us plan holidays.

Excellent! Except that my costume choices will be limited to Thursday a few months after WoLP, so will need a list of nearby hospitals / midwives just in case...

Annette, if by "dizzies" you're referring to the venue's accessibility for disabled persons, I can confirm that yes: it fully caters for the disabled. The hotel has a number of disabled access bedrooms which have lower surfaces, grab rails in the bathroom and wider doorways throughout.

Houseinthewoods: the nearest facilities to the venue are either the Chippenham Pregnancy Crisis Centre, Office 155,The Citadel,Bath Rd Chippenham Tel. 01249 445992, or the Cirencester Family Planning Clinic, Cirencester Hospital,Tetbury Rd Cirencester Tel. 01285 884628

Wow. Such service on the fforums and no-one's started gibbering incoherently about dodos yet. I think that's a new record for relevance!

I wanna go! Sad that demographics don't let me ride my bike to the UK

//curses horrible geography that places him in a bad place to get to the Ffiesta//

__________________________________
'We're all mad here. I'm mad, you're mad." [said the Cat.]
"How do you know I'm mad?" said Alice.
"You must be," said the Cat, "Or you wouldn't have come here."
- Lewis Carroll, Alice's Adventures In Wonderland

//curses horrible exchange rate//

*curses the lack of a teleporter*

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You decide:

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Seriously guys, if this thread's simply going to fill up with people comparing excuses for their not attending then we're really going to have to question whether there's any point in us going ahead with planning the Ffiesta. A small group of incredibly hard working volunteers are having to raise a couple of grand up front to make this happen, as well as pouring in a hell of a lot of their own time and effort. At the very least offering something supportive like "I can't go unfortunately but I'm willing to put some time in helping to help promote it" would be helpful.

Sheesh.

So a question such as "What can I do to help?" Would be considered a lot more useful?

Sorry -- looking forward very much to attending, but am at the mercy of someone else's schedule for late spring 2008, someone I don't even know yet but who is causing me a great deal of unpleasant side effects...

Have you notified the Book Jumping group on Facebook (I can't check it from work)?

Maybe you didn't spot it, but most of us whinging that we cant go are on different continents

Four or five statements commiserating that fact isn't going to destroy the Ffiesta.

Definitely time to have a Gravitube (or several) installed.

Maybe if I start digging now, I could get there in time...

Sorry, ptolemy (and by proxy panjandrum). I would love to be there and I appreciate all that you do to make it happen for those who can...

Also, promote to whom? Anyone that I can tell about it are in exactly the same boat as me: wrong continent and on a student budget that does not allow rectifying of said continent problem.

__________________________________
'We're all mad here. I'm mad, you're mad." [said the Cat.]
"How do you know I'm mad?" said Alice.
"You must be," said the Cat, "Or you wouldn't have come here."
- Lewis Carroll, Alice's Adventures In Wonderland

Hmmmmmm!!!!!!

Wife's birthday is March. March to May is 5 - 6 weeks. If we sell house, children, animals, and choose to live on river bank, can just swing decision to sell house and spend proceeds 'wisely' by going to Europe, having lunch in Paris; Coffee and operetta in Vienna; a ride in the black forest; opera at La Scala; a walk in the streets of Venice; looks at Vesuvius, Stromboli, Etna; then up to Blair Athol for quiet drive north with the breeze blowing the fumes from the distilleries through the pine trees to Aviemore; across to Aberfeldy, back down to Edinburgh and then south to Swindon then to the village of Londonium.

Good use of resources.

Starts planning now!