How we celebrate "I Love Free Software Day" in Potteries, UK
Every year "I Love Free Software Day" is celebrated, where
we thank all Free Software contributors for their commitment
to use, study, share and improve Free Software. Without them there is no
software freedom. We want to thank them all for contributing to Free
Software <3
To mark this special occasion the FSFE's
local groups organise local events and celebrations. Each
celebration is unique and showcases the commitment of our community, from local gatherings with pizza and fun Free Software games
to larger events addressing new people with talks and networking.
One local group has been celebrating “I Love Free Software Day” for
the past 3 years –
that group is in The Potteries, UK.
This local group had its origins back in 1999, when
a local Linux user group started organising meetings, talks and
many other activities. In 2019 members of the local LUG met a long-term volunteer
from the FSFE at a conference in Manchester. They hit it off and
began a new era by talking exclusively about Free Software with a new local FSFE
group being run alongside the Linux group. For six years this local group has stayed active
and participated in various FSFE activities. Read more about the only
FSFE local group in the UK and their celebration of the “I Love
Free Software Day”.
FSFE: How many people are active in the group ? Can you
also give us an overview of what Potteries is?
Steven, One of the FSFE Potteries coordinators: It is
tough to put a number on it as we communicate through lots of different
channels, but it is not uncommon to see more than a dozen regulars at
meetings, plus new faces that often then become new regulars!
We are situated right in the middle of England between Manchester and
Birmingham. Most of the urban area of North Staffordshire is known as
‘The Potteries’ due to the city of Stoke-on-Trent and the surrounding
towns being historically instrumental in the ceramic industry. It is a
name that everyone local knows and understands, which is why we chose
it. It is not uncommon to see many local groups using ‘Potteries’ in
their names, and the FSFE President signed off on our group with that name!
FSFE: What are the usual activities the Potteries local group does?
Steven: Online the activities are mostly just
organising meetings, people sharing their experiences, and offering help
and recommendations where they can. Workshop meetings involve using Free
Software itself and attending talks given by anyone who fancies sharing
their knowledge. We also have socials particularly in the summer, as
well as trips to unconferences such as Oggcamp. Our main
annual event is ILoveFS, but we also help to run other events like the
Flörgåsbord! event too.
FSFE: When was the first time you celebrated the “I
Love Free Software Day”, and how did it work out?
Steven: The first time was Tuesday 14 February 2023,
for which initially we thought the date worked really well. This is because
we cooperatively take turns to run meetings on Tuesday evenings with
other similar local groups, increasing turnout as attendees always know
to keep that evening free. We also used the same location that we used
for formal scheduled talks, which was not really a particularly social
venue, more like a computer lab.
Unfortunately that is also Valentine's Day, and people in the UK take it
quite seriously, and so the turnout was not great! We often got told
that their significant others would lynch them if they did not spend the
evening with them!
First "I Love Free Software Day" celebrations in Potteries.
FSFE: How did the celebration of the “I Love Free
Software Day” evolve over the next years and what was your personal
highlight while celebrating this special day?
Steven: Well in subsequent years we were told we could
use a date near to the 14th instead! So doing that, together with using a
great new sociable space, it has meant things have worked perfectly ever
since! I would have to say my personal highlight was playing the games
at the ILoveFS 2025 event, that really helped to bring people together
competing as teams, rather than lots of little groups talking amongst
themselves.
"I Love Free Software Day" celebrations in Potteries.
FSFE: What did you do for the I Love Free software Day 2025?
Steven: Well we had the upstairs room of the KPA
Clubhouse (on the Keele University campus) which is a great free venue
with plenty of character and comfortable seating. The room was decorated
with plenty of balloons and promotional material, as well as laptops
loaded with Free Software that people could just pick up and try. Add to
that some great company, as well as free food and drinks, and it was a
brilliant atmosphere for playing the Free Software quiz game, a quick
presentation, and socialising about our love of Free Software,
particularly those often forgotten smaller and hidden projects we take
for granted.
FSFE: What would you recommend to others when they want
to organise “I Love Free Software Day” celebrations, and what are
pitfalls you would say should be avoided?
Steven: The first thing I would say is that if your
event is not set up to easily explain what Free Software is and why it
is important, to literally anyone walking in off the street, then you’re
not doing it right! Accessibility of the topic is key, so if you have
got a few spare laptops to run software that people will find familiar,
but perhaps did not associate with Free Software, that’s a great start!
Add to that some welcoming regulars who have the patience and skill to
explain things without confusion (or fighting about which distro is
better!) and you’re already off to a winning start. Try to steer
conversations away from being too heavy, keep things social and
lighthearted, and offer people comfortable seating, drinks, and food to
get them willing to open up about their experiences.
FSFE: Why do you think I Love Free Software Day is
important and why should everybody be celebrating this day?
Steven: Free Software should be celebrated and
appreciated just as much as the concepts of democracy, the rule of law,
equal opportunities, and the free exchange of other information than
just Software! Things that people take for granted but took years of
work to establish constantly need defending. It is a great way to
remind people that lots of community spirit has gone into creating the
tools we use every day, which are often more and more powered by software.
FSFE: Do you already have plans for celebrating “I Love Free Software Day 2026”?
Steven: Yes, it'll be on the 10th February for 2026. Since the venue we used for
the least two years has been a great success, we’ll be looking to
mostly replicate that again in 2026 but this time with the focus on
thanking maintainers.
FSFE: Steven, Thank you very much for your time!
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