Getting the moot up and running...

From Caz: We thought it would be good to start from the beginning and tell you a little about getting our moot up and running:

A few of us met through some of the moots set up through Mansfield merry meet, but as they tended to be sporadic we talked about setting up a regular monthly moot.

A number of us visit Chesterfield Moot and Nottingham Pagans regularly, they have both been good examples of successful moots. Definitely sources of inspiration!

We then had a very hard task of visiting local pubs to find a good meeting place, it’s a dirty job but someone got to do it! We found a pub fairly quickly, the main criteria was accessible, affordable and of course sampling the chips and beer was essential.

Finding a date in the month that didn't clash with other moots or drumming groups, wasn't easy! We decided on first Tuesday of Month booked the pub for 3 months not knowing whether anyone would turn up and whether it would just be us sat there in the pub.

Little did we know the response we would get from folk, it was amazing...we went from nervous to gobsmacked in the space of about half an hour! In honesty, we did have an excellent publicity campaign... and the surprise success tactic was putting up flyers in the Lammas camp compost loos! Well, a captive audience and all that...

We were still surprised when 26 people turned up for the first Moot on 5th August 2014. The Moots have continued to be really well supported.

After a couple of months we realised that we had to look for a new meeting place because the first pub wasn't big enough to hold the numbers that were coming. We quickly found a new pub the William the IV "Top House", the pub suits our needs perfectly we were originally in the conservatory but we now have the whole of the back room. The Landlord at the William IV is really supportive of our Moot and looks after us we are really lucky to have this pub as a meeting place. People can add themselves to the register of those who attend each moot, it's a lovely momento and its nice to look back see who attended and what talk we have had. We also have a Healing Book that anyone can put names in and that has been well received. The Moots are a great space for Pagan friends to meet up and socialise to talk about our different paths, non-pagans are part of the Moot too, we love being inclusive, we also try to have regular speakers at the Moot. For 2015 we have a spring Ostara walk planned at Rufford Abbey and there is talk of a Beltane camp, nothing organised just we find a campsite bring your tent and join us if you want to, watch this space. Well done Mansfield Pagans you have made this group the success it is! We really are overwhelmed by the continued support that has been shown it makes all the planning worthwhile. We hope that the Moot will continue for a good time to come, blessed be.