Welcome to the Wradfold1 Show!
The Wakefield Show has hit a few problems (outlined below) since the milestone 25th event was first scheduled for April 2020, and technically took place in 2021 as an online event – although the next time exhibitors gather in the North to show off their wares, it will still be the 25th physical show organised by the Wakefield RISC OS Computer Club (WROCC).
The latest setback came recently as it emerged the regular venue was not going to be re-opened on time, so couldn’t host it as planned, leaving the Club looking for a new venue for this year’s show – and the good news is that they’ve now found one.
The Wakefield Show, 2022, will therefore take place as planned on Saturday, 21st May – and it will even take place at the Cedar Court Hotel. It’s just that it won’t be the usual Cedar Court Hotel; instead it will be a little further North(ish) at:
The Cedar Court Hotel, Bradford
Mayo Avenue,
Rooley Lane,
Bradford,
West Yorkshire,
BD5 8HW.
Like the usual hotel, the Bradford Cedar Court is well placed for people heading in by car, being adjacent to the end of the M606 motorway, just off the Bradford Ring Road, and the show website has clear directions to help people find their way to the hotel, this way, as well as helpful information for those heading in on public transport.
The show itself will take place in a ground floor space at the hotel, meaning no stairs or lifts to contend with, which is particularly good news for exhibitors when it comes to getting their gear into and out of the hall. As an added bonus, the space for the show will be greater – both in the main area and the show theatre – enabling better social distancing.
For those wishing to stay at the hotel, the events team there have agreed to a reduced room rate of £75.00 inclusive of breakfast, based on single occupancy. This offer isn’t available via the hotel website, though, so to take advantage of it you’ll need to ring the hotel directly on 01274 406 606. However, don’t forget to check the various online booking sites in case better deals can be found – and when doing so, don’t forget it’s not the only hotel in town!
With a venue now found, let’s hope there are no further problems to encounter, and that the show can go ahead as planned (and amended). The organisers – and this exhibitor – add that they look forward to seeing everyone again, for their 25th physical show.
And let’s also look forward to the 2023 show, in the hope that it too can be a celebratory 25th one; the 25th one held in Wakefield! 😉
The Wakefield Woes – a quick timeline
- Announced in February 2020, that year’s show was originally scheduled for 18th April, and would have been the 25th show organised by WROCC.
- The inevitable happened, with the pandemic causing lockdowns, and the show was postponed until further notice.
- Within a month of that announcement, a new date was set for the 25th show – now to be held on 24th April, 2021. This would have made it a double-25th celebration; as well as being the 25th event, it would have been within a few weeks of being the 25th anniversary of the very first Wakefield Show.
- The pandemic continued to be a problem, however, which meant the event couldn’t be held as planned – at least not as a physical one. Instead, it moved online, still taking place on 24th April. This, technically, was the 25th Wakefield Show, though not the 25th physical one.
- In late 2021, the 2022 event was announced – to take place on 23rd April, as a ‘real’ show, back at its usual venue, the Cedar Court Hotel on the outskirts of Wakefield.
- Towards the end of 2021, a change of date was announced – the venue would be the same, but the show would now be held around a month later, on 21st may.
- And in March, it emerged that the hotel would not in fact be reopened until Autumn, so the organisers began searching for a new venue to allow the show to take place on the same date.
!ReadMe
- Wakefield + Bradford = Wradfold. Officially. So there.
