All posts by Chris Green

Kickstart Events and Activities

Kickstart 5 is Coming – Are You Going?

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We’ve already confirmed our first date for 2025, so please mark it down now. Tickets are on sale now. Kickstart 5 will be a regular all-day meet, with guests, traders, contests, and hopefully our first attendee raffle. It’s also a very special year – 2025 marks 40 years of our beloved Amiga computer platform and we will be marking 40 years of the Amiga at all of our 2025 events! So, get ready for special events and surprises.

Five Tables Left

At the time of writing, there are just five table tickets left, so please don’t delay if you plan to attend with your Amiga.

A Look Back at Kickstart 4

There are loads of photos over on our Facebook group, please do visit if you have not already.

Attendee Leigh Malpas put together this walkabout video on the day:

Also, Chris Thomas, AKA Retronaut, put together another of his excellent videos covering the meet, take a look here:

Kickstart Events and Activities

Kickstart is This Sunday!

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Less than a week to go now until our next Kickstart meet. We are sending out emails to all ticket holders this week with everything you need to know for the day, so please keep an eye out!

Games, Trophies and Amigas

We have lots happening alongside the regular gathering of people and their Amigas:

Zool Top Score Contest

We’ll be running a top score contest on the iconic Amiga platformer Zool all day running on the 500 Mini. Highest score at the end takes away our first High Score Trophy!

Machine of the Meet

Something new, we are going to award a trophy for the top machine of the meet. Highly subjective, but we’ll be taking into account a number of factors, including interesting modifications, your machine’s backstory (such as whether it’s a trash to treasure recovery or a childhood machine still going strong), what it’s beuing used for, best visual makeover and more. It’s something fun we hope people will enjoy.

Last Call for Tickets

We are going to have to close off ticket sales in the next 48 hours so that we can confirm catering and other elements for Sunday. If you haven’t already bought a ticket, please get it now.

Table Ticket: https://kickstartamigagroup.sumupstore.com/product/table-ticket-kickstart-amiga-group-september-2024-meet

No Table Ticket: https://kickstartamigagroup.sumupstore.com/product/no-table-ticket-kickstart-amiga-group-september-2024-meet

Kickstart Events and Activities

One month until Kickstart 4 – Join Us!

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Where has 2024 gone? It’s been an incredible year Amiga-wise, with our meets in February and the BBQ in June. We will be rounding off the year with one more big meet before we start our programme of 2025 events:

  • When: Sunday 29th September 2024
  • Where: Ottershaw Village Hall, Brox Road, Ottershaw, Surrey, KT16 0HG
  • Time: 9am-9pm
  • Cost: £14-16 per person (price includes pizza lunch, the famous Kickstart cake, snacks and soft drinks throughout the day)
  • Ticket Link: https://kickstartamigagroup.sumupstore.com/

As it’s the end of summer, we are going to have a pizza party for lunch to celebrate.

As always, we only have a limited number of tables (though we have recently bought more tables to take us to maximum capacity at the hall), so book early to avoid disappointment.

Continue reading One month until Kickstart 4 – Join Us! →
Kickstart Events and Activities

Kickstart 3 – The Amiga BBQ Meet – What a Day!

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After a very long absence, we brought back the most celebrated day of the year, the annual Kickstart BBQ, and what a day it was. We were very fortunate that the weather was perfect, so we were able to make full use of the outdoor space at Ottershaw Village Hall to make some memories over good food, the odd beer and a lot of technology chatter.

Here are just a few pics from the amazing day we had at the hall. You can find many more and some videos over on our Facebook group at https://www.facebook.com/groups/kickstartamiga/media.

YouTube creator Retronaut was back with us for the BBQ meet and produced another video of his visit.

Continue reading Kickstart 3 – The Amiga BBQ Meet – What a Day! →
Kickstart Events and Activities

Kickstart 3 is Tomorrow – Are You Ready?

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We are all ready here at Kickstart HQ to welcome you to our annual BBQ meet tomorrow. Ticket sales are closing at 2pm today for non-table spaces if you want to join us, but table places are all sold out.

What To Bring

If you have a table ticket (which most people will), there will be a table and a chair for you – all you need to do is bring your Amiga! This list will help ensure you don’t forget the essentials:

  • Your Amiga
  • A monitor
  • Mouse, Mouse Mat and Joystick
  • Power Cables and Power Supplies for your Amiga, Monitor and other peripherals
  • Any games or software you need
  • Speakers (if not built into your monitor)
  • Mains extension lead (the more sockets the better)
  • A screwdriver (just in case you need to open up your machine)

Other than that – we can’t wait to see everyone tomorrow at Ottershaw Village Hall in Surrey.

Kickstart Events and Activities

Kickstart 3 – The Amiga BBQ Meet – is This Saturday

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Saturday 22nd June 2024, 9am-9pm, Ottershaw in Surrey.

It’s the final week, with our BBQ meet happening this Saturday, 22nd June 2024. Doors open at 9am, and close at 9pm (or a little sooner if everyone decides to go to the pub). We are looking forward to a brilliant day of Amiga fun. Even the weather is threatening to behave itself once again!

Key Information

  • When: Saturday 22nd June 2024
  • Where: Ottershaw Village Hall, Brox Road,
    Ottershaw, Surrey, KT16 0HG
  • Time: 9am-9pm
  • Cost: £14-16 per person
    (price includes BBQ lunch, the famous Kickstart cake, snacks and soft drinks throughout the day)
  • Ticket Link: https://kickstartamigagroup.sumupstore.com/
Continue reading Kickstart 3 – The Amiga BBQ Meet – is This Saturday →
Kickstart Events and Activities

Kickstart June 2024 BBQ Meet: One Table Left!

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Key Information

  • When: Saturday 22nd June 2024
  • Where: Ottershaw Village Hall, Brox Road,
    Ottershaw, Surrey, KT16 0HG
  • Time: 9am-9pm
  • Cost: £14-16 per person
    (price includes BBQ lunch, the famous Kickstart cake, snacks and soft drinks throughout the day)
  • Ticket Link: https://kickstartamigagroup.sumupstore.com/

Demand for our June meet, which will also be our summer BBQ, is very strong. So much so that we are two monts away from the big day and we have just one table place left (plus non-table tickets). If you want to come down for a day of good food and unrivalled Amiga fun, grab your place now.

Table Ticket for Kickstart June 2024 Meet

Non-Table Ticket for Kickstart June 2024 Meet

RetroPassion at Kickstart 3

We are excited to welcome RetroPassion, who will be with us for the June meet and bringing a variety of their Amiga products for sale. There will be special deals on offer for attendees, and its a great chance to get in touch witht them beforehand to make sure they bring the item or items you are after.

RetroPassion recently began stocking a wide range of the highly desired products from Individual Computing (saving you the pain of customs duties and long delays when ordering directly), including the Indivision AGA Mk3 Scandoubler, ACA accelerators and much more. Visit their web site for more details of everything they offer, including their recapping services (which all of my Amigas have benefitted from).

Tickets Now on Sale for Kickstart 4

Our last all-day meet of 2024 is now confirmed for Sunday September 29th 2024 at our regular venue in Ottershaw. We are also looking at arranging a Christmas meal in early December, possibly at the Miller and Carter opposite the hall, but in terms of an all day Amiga session, this will be the last of the year. We’ll be holding 3-4 meets in 2025, so don’t worry, we are not going anywhere.

As it’s the end of summer, we are going to have a pizza party for lunch to celebrate.

As always, we only have a limited number of tables (though we have recently bought more tables to take us to maximum capacity at the hall), so book early to avoid disappointment.

Continue reading Kickstart June 2024 BBQ Meet: One Table Left! →
Kickstart Events and Activities, News

Only Three Table Places Left for Kickstart 3: The Kickstart Amiga Group June BBQ Meet

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Take-up for places at Kickstart 3, our 2024 BBQ meet on Saturday, June 22nd 2024 has been extremely positive. As always, thank you for your support, its always appreciated. It does mean that at the time of writing, we only have three tables left. We’ve managed to expand a little by adding some additional tables onto the stage area (and without those we would already be sold out), but even one of those has already sold, with only three remaining.

Non-table tickets, which we offer at a small discount to the table ticket price, are still available and get you access to everything (including the BBQ) except a table to put a computer on.

Key Information

  • When: Saturday 22nd June 2024
  • Where: Ottershaw Village Hall, Brox Road,
    Ottershaw, Surrey, KT16 0HG
  • Time: 9am-9pm
  • Cost: £14-16 per person
    (price includes BBQ lunch, snacks and soft drinks throughout the day)
  • Ticket Link: https://kickstartamigagroup.sumupstore.com/

Table Ticket for K3: The Kickstart Amiga Group June Meet

Non-Table Ticket for K3: The Kickstart Amiga Group June Meet

It’s already shaping up to be a cracking meet, with RetroPassion coming down for the day and offering special discounts for attendees, as well as user groups from across the UK joining us for some Amiga fun and a burger or two.

Continue reading Only Three Table Places Left for Kickstart 3: The Kickstart Amiga Group June BBQ Meet →