twestival local - Tweet.Meet.Give. - March 24, 2011

The  Blackpool Twestival  is taking place at Gillespies, Topping Street at 7pm on Thursday 24th March.  Twestival  is an  online global charity movement  and this year we are holding events to support local charities. Blackpool Twestival are supporting  Streetlife  who do invaluable work in proving a range of services for young homeless people in the Blackpool area.

What's going on:

• Big Fat Twitter Pub Quiz where entrants are positively encouraged to use their connections on Twitter, Facebook and the web to find the answers 
• Charity raffle with prizes to be announced
• Charity auction with lots to be announced
• Food and toiletries amnesty details below

The event is free to attend and as much about raising awareness for Streetlife as it is about raising money.

Amongst the many services that Streetlife offer to the young homeless in Blackpool is a place to get food and clean; as such donations of food and toiletries are just as valuable as cash. With that in mind there will be a food and toiletries amnesty on the night for any goods that people may have lurking at the back of the cupboards, we think why not root them out and give them to a good cause.   

For updates, donations or to get involved: go to www.blackpool.twestival.com, please follow us on Twitter (where else?!) @bpooltwestival and Blackpool Twestival on Facebook

Twestival doesn't work without some hard work by a group of dedicated volunteers. Here are some of the people who will be making Twestival Blackpool happen over the next six weeks.

(pic: The Twestival Local team discussing big plans for this year's event) *

*disclaimer - the above picture isn't us.. it's an imortant looking bunch of peeps from Twestival HQ - we haven't had our mug shots done yet but watch this space

I thought I would use everyone's Twitter bio to give a snapshot of what we're all like; I have to admite that I have used my own bio for duchessofgrange as I think it sums me up better than my work one. I hope you'll forgive me!

@duchessofgrange - Second Twestival I like: olives, beer, sunglasses, reading, hats, dancemusic, stickytoffeepudding, Sophie and being loud!

@TawdryMe - Twestival rookie. PHP Tech head, interested in social media and the web in general! Slightly warped sense of humour too! 

@tomstables - Twestival rookie Creative thinker. Actual designer. Real lecturer. Habitual writer. Occasional blogger. Web & graphic do-er. Social media fiend/friend. Frequently bearded.

@xLady_Luckx - Twestival rookie Hey! You and I are going to have a big love affair. It won't work out. But somewhere in the middle, my God, we tried.

@walkerstudios - Twestival rookie Multimedia Design & Social Media Solutions. All views expressed are personal. Allergy Advice - May contain traces of Sarcasm and Ginger

@samijb - Twestival rookie 26 Years Old Live in Blackpool

We have a great team, but there is always room for more. If you are in the Blackpool area and would like to get involved in Twestival 2011, please get in touch with @duchessofgrange on twitter or via email, we'd love to talk. Whether you're a social media expert, an event organiser, a designer or somebody who just wants to help out on the day, we have a place for you at Twestival. 

Hello and welcome to the Blackpool Twestival blog! We are proud to announce that on March 24th Blackpool will host its own Twestival Local event.

Twestival® (or Twitter Festival) uses social media for social good by connecting communities off-line on a single day to highlight a great cause and have a fun event. Twestival is the largest global grass roots social media fundraising initiative to date. Since 2009, volunteers have raised close to $1.2 million for 137 non-profits. All local events are organized 100% by volunteers and 100% of all ticket sales and donations go direct to projects.

Twestival was born out of the idea that if cities were able to collaborate on an international scale, but work from a local level, it could have a spectacular impact. Over 200 international cities from Buenos Aires to Bangalore, Seattle to Seoul and Hong Kong to Honolulu have participated in Twestival.

Twestival Local 2011 is a great opportunity to bring the community together. The day is about more than fundraising, but all money raised will go directly to a local charity, that means 100% of the funds will be spent in Blackpool. We are still in the process of choosing our own charity, so watch out on Twitter for announcements.

We are currently working on confirming a venue. Tickets will go on sale in a week or so, so pleaseremember to check back here or follow us on Twitter, details below. We will announce details of the evening's activities over the coming weeks, but if you have suggestions or would like to get involved, our contact details are below. In fact, please get in touch if you can help or advise in any way! 

For updates or to get involved, please follow us on Twitter (where else?!) @bpooltwestival, Facebook, and make a note of the date in your diary - 24th March 2011.