UK Projects: First Week Roundup

Its been a week since Kickstarter officially opened to UK-based creators and were excited to report on some major milestones. UK creators have launched 171 projects since Oct. 31, garnering more than 15,000 pledges from backers and raising over £588,000. Nine projects have already met or exceeded their funding goals with many days left to go. Were calling cookies biscuits around Kickstarter HQ. And tea consumption is off the charts although that might just be winter setting in. All told, were thrilled by the initial response from a new shore, and eager to see how communities across the UK use the platform to realize their creative projects.

Although its always difficult to choose a small handful of ideas to spotlight, we think its pretty inspiring to survey the quality and diversity of some new UK projects. The five featured below include both the grand and the modest, and span publishing, games, theater, and more. With creators like these paving the way for future UK endeavors, we are very optimistic about the next wave of projects to emerge from across the pond.

Picade

Picade will always have a special place in our hearts as the first UK project to launch. The project is a build-it-yourself arcade cabinet compatible with Raspberry Pi and other inexpensive mini computers. With a couple of household tools and the Picade kit, industrious gamers can experience the satisfaction of DIY construction and clean up at Pacman the way it was intended.

Janapar

When Tom Allen was 23, he set off on a journey to cycle around the world. Buoyed by the ambition of youth (and increasingly strong quads), Allen traveled from his little English village to Armenia a distance of more than 3,000 miles. There, he fell in love with a girl, and his story transformed once again. Janapar is the tale of four years, three continents, and a major life decision, distilled into a single long-simmering book.

Sir, You Are Being Hunted

The hound picks up the scent... and its you. Sir, You Are Being Hunted is a first-person survival game pitting you against tweedpunk robots that hunt humans for sport. The game features an inventive procedural engine, which generates a randomized British landscape of abandoned villages and creepy moors thats unique for every player and an endless supply of mechanical aristocrats to thwart. Tally-ho!

Good & Proper Tea

Emilie Holmes has noticed a change in London as of late. Once the global epicenter of tea time, shes noticed a dramatic boom in coffee culture and a subsequent decline in the art of a decent cuppa. Good & Proper is an attempt to change all that. Shes transforming her vintage Citro n van into a mobile tea bar and filling her shelves with handpicked loose-leaf teas from around the world, brewed at the correct temperature, and served with a smile at the side of the road.

Project Pigeon Theatre

In a week of many firsts, this one is unique: Project Pigeon wants to produce the first piece of theater performed at a pigeon loft. Based on materials from the Birmingham Pigeon Archive, these three plays dramatize the history and culture of pigeon fancying with predictably hilarious and charming results. Project Pigeon is both a community-based arts organization and a functioning aviary, designed to foster creativity and interaction through a shared love of the humble urban bird.

LINK:	http://www.kickstarter.com/blog/uk-projects-first-week-roundup...
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