A gathering of geeks

8:55am Wednesday 21st February 2007

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A geeky girl is on a mission to persuade other Oxfordshire geeks to get away from their computers - and into the pub.

Natalie Downe, 23, a web developer from Summertown, set up Oxford Geek Nights to get nerds socialising and provide a place for them to talk about their passion for computers.

Last Wednesday, she tempted more than 100 computer enthusiasts away from their screens for the first Oxford Geek Night, at the Jericho Tavern, in Walton Street.

Ms Downe said: "Being a geek is something to celebrate. It's a passion for what you do and being enthusiastic about the things that you care about.

"It can be quite lonely if you're a freelance geek working from home, so I think that's why so many people came along. There are a lot of these kind of nights in London, where people can talk about their latest obsessions, but nothing in Oxfordshire before now."

Ms Downe sent emails to Oxford geeks she found on search engines and spread the word among her friends.

James Wheare, a web designer, believes that it is a compliment to be called a geek.

He said: "It's something that I'm quite proud of. It's more a term of endearment and respect within the community, among people who know what they love to do.

"I was quite surprised at the number of people in the room when I walked in, so I was nervous about standing up in front of them all, but I would definitely do it again."

Mr Wheare gave a talk about developing the website www.livebus.org, which provides live timetable updates for buses in Oxfordshire.

Tom Dyson, director of Torchbox, a Charlbury-based website development company which sponsored the night, said: "We were delighted with the turnout.

"It shows that there is a really thriving web development scene in Oxford and we look forward to the next night in a couple of months."

A second geek night is planned in a couple of months. For more details, email nat@natbat.net