This year’s Wakefield Bradford Wradfold Show – the first in person RISC OS Show in the North of England since the 2019 event in Wakefield, and the 25th physical show organised by the Wakefield RISC OS Computer Club (WROCC) – takes places this Saturday, 21st May.
If you’re planning on attending – and why wouldn’t you? – don’t forget that it’s not at it’s usual venue this year; it’s not even in the same city. Instead of the Wakefield Cedar Court Hotel at which it normally takes place, this year it’s being held at the Bradford Cedar Court Hotel, which is around twenty miles nearer or further, depending where you’re coming from.
Still, at least it’s at the same hotel chain, right?
The show floor will be open to the public between 10:30am and 4:00pm, and there are close to twenty exhibitors currently listed on the show website, reflecting a range of enthusiasts, user groups, developers, and companies, covering both retro and modern platforms, with a diverse selection of products for you to buy or just look wistfully at.
User groups you can expect to see include the Midlands user Group, who will be hosting an online show on 2nd July, and WROCC, the organisers of this one – and the latter will be selling tickets to win one of seven prizes in a super prize draw, with prizes including software, hardware, and vouchers worth £50. Tickets are just £1.00 each, with a limit of two per person.
There will be hardware available from the likes of RISCOSbits, R-Comp, and CJE Micro’s. You can expect to see at least two new (or possibly new to this show) computers, and this year another exhibitor may be selling a bit of hardware: Chris Hall has recently had a PCB made up so that it’s easier to create a satellite navigation system based around his designs and software and he is hoping to have a small quantity of the boards for sale on the day.
You will find software ranging from applications (for example Sine Nomine with RiscOSM and many other items, North One Communications with Organizer, and many others), through games (AMCOG Games, and Soft Rock Software), all the way up to the operating system itself (RISC OS Open Ltd and RISC OS Developments Ltd).
And if you want something to read on the train home, Gavin Smith will be bringing along the latest issue of Archive and taking subscriptions.
If you have any old hardware, software, books, or magazines in need of a new home – or if you want to provide a new home to any old hardware, software, books, or magazines – there will as ever be a charity stand, raising money for the Wakefield Hospice, with an impressive total of over £26,000 raised to date.
There will also be a series of presentations held in the show theatre, with talks from RISC OS Open Ltd, RISC OS Developments Ltd, Sine Nomine Software, R-Comp, and CJE Micro’s.
The entrance fee has been reduced from its usual £5.00 per person to a mere £2.00 – a thank you to the show’s visitors over the years for making it a success. And with detailed instructions on how to find it on the show website, the address of the venue is:
The Cedar Court Hotel, Bradford,
Mayo Avenue,
Rooley Lane,
Bradford,
BD5 8HW.
Within the hotel itself, the show will take place in rooms on the ground floor close to the entrance foyer and bar area, making it much easier for all to access. There is air conditioning in the exhibition area and the theatre room, so there will be fresh air circulating, and you will find hand sanitiser available at the show entrance (and quite possibly on some stands).
The rooms are notably more spacious than those used at the Wakefield Cedar Court, so social distancing will be easily maintained where anyone feels it necessary. Face coverings are optional, but should you encounter anyone wearing one please remember to respect their choice and maintain a healthy distance from them – they may have a condition that makes them more vulnerable, or be in regular or close contact with someone in that situation.
Testing before attending is not mandatory under the current er… lack of restrictions, but people are advised to take a test before attending if they have any relevant symptoms.
