CREATIVE COFFEE LEICESTER, 5 JUNE 2013

It's the fortnightly meeting of Creative Coffee Leicester this morning at Phoenix. After having had speakers or "table experts" several sessions on the trot, today is a bit of an Old Skool turn, with loose and relaxed conversation among a smaller number.

Stacey Beazer & Cynthia Rodriguez

As is always the case at these meetings, there are a few first timers, among them Stacey Beazer of Dance Select Agency. I'm pleasantly surprised to discover that Stacey and I have something in common: we both have experience of working at the Watershed Youth Centre. I used to work there for ReMit (Leicester City Council's education service for adults with long-term mental health issues) and Stacey works there now (part time) for the City Council's Young People's Services. These two agencies of Leicester City Council shared that space in a somewhat uneasy and unequal relationship for several years, till ReMit shipped out to Leicester Adult Education College in Wellington Street. We may have crossed over in our working time at the Watershed, but neither of us can recall meeting each other there.

As well as chatting with Stacey, I catch up with Cynthia Rodriguez, of Cynthiaescribe. Over the past few months, Cynthia has become one of the stalwarts of these fortnightly gatherings.