Many of my Twitter contacts and those I meet at events are fans of Eben Upton’s inspired little Raspberry Pi bit of kit.

The Wordchazer household does intend to get one, eventually, but we’ll wait until the first surge in demand has passed, so that we don’t have to wait too long for it. In the meantime, Alan O’Donohoe and his friends have decided that it’s a good time to found Raspberry Jam, a users’ and enthusiasts’ club based in Preston, Lancashire, England.

If I lived a bit closer, I would be along like a shot, but a three-and-a-half hour journey just isn’t feasible after work!

However, for those of you visiting the delights of Blackpool, in the area for work or leisure reasons, and for the natives who don’t know about it yet, at time of writing there are 16 (free) tickets left for the event and some amazing speakers lined up.

Alan himself is worth hearing, by the way, but he has a wide-reaching network of interesting friends too, some of whom have become involved with this event.

I can only suggest that you give it a try if you’re over there. If not, Alan is available on Twitter and will be happy to answer all questions or share his expertise with your IT, technology or retro club as required.