Incidentally, how many HN users are from the North West? I'm from Bolton

Leeds (if that counts!)

Leeds as well

Leeds here, Ive been thinking about a Leeds HN meet up if that would intrest anyone?

Count me in... How should we go about organising it? Email or setup some kind of group?

I'm also working in Leeds.

Im on border of Leeds / Bradford.

Preston here, come see our wonderful bus station http://www.bbc.co.uk/cbbc/allovertheplace/place/preston_bus_... !

East midlands. But the southerners think I'm northern. So let's take their lead.

Edinburgh, like really north

Edinburgh here too :) (grew up in Glasgow, but now I work in Edinburgh)

Manchester/Warrington borders here (Birchwood). Cheap office space + quick train journey to the centre of Manchester.

Newark, Notts. So technically (East) Midlands, but North of London, which is what matters.

Port Sunlight, just south of Birkenhead, across the river from Liverpool.

Anyone up for a Liverpool meetup?

Originally Leeds, now Edinburgh.

Born in Chester and lived there until I was 16. Now living in Birmingham.

Kendal. There's tech here, but it's laying low between the sheep.

im born n bred manchester but currently living in Japan. Are there any North West HN meetups? Be good to know about for those times i return.

not sure about HN meetups. I think the closest thing might be geekup: http://www.geekup.org

Irlam, right on the edge of Greater Manchester.

I'm from Liverpool, but now live in Glasgow.

I'm in the North East, near Durham

I'm in the North East, in Durham.

No way. I'm from Bolton also!

and a fellow ruby dev, awesome. Do you ever go the geekup/nwrug meetings?

I go to nwrug occasionally and hang out in #nwrug :)

Another from Edinburgh here.

Manchester, formerly Bolton.

I'm in Manchester as well. Studying for a CS degree.

Bradford!

Sheffield, represent!

Lancaster area here.

Nottingham here

Manchester

Liverpool

Liverpool!

I didn't attempt to raise money in England, instead I just moved my startup from Sheffield to San Francisco. It was 6 months of work, but way easier than trying to get funded in the North.

How did you get a visa?

Feel free to email me for more details (in my profile). Basically, I hired an immigration lawyer and created a hugely detailed business plan.

at what stage was your startup when you moved and how easy/difficult is the visa process for British going to America?

Pretty early, but it had good profits. That's what the US Embassy likes to see most (other than the fact you're going to hire Americans).

Please everyone stay in the UK. We need more startups outside London - it's crowded and not a good place to work.

I attempted to get a startup going in Nottingham (we could have been salesforce!) in about '02 but managed to fluff it up miserably thanks to my inexperience.