Now female engineers and techies in Bristol can release their inner "geek" too

A Bristol woman has set up a group especially for female "geeks" in the city.

Jessica Cauchard, 26, has started an informal networking group – called Bristol Girl Geek Dinners – to give women working or interested in technology and engineering a chance to meet each other.

Jessica, a PhD student in computer science at Bristol University, said: "From my experience, it can be quite lonely to be the only technical woman in your company. I believe it is really important for other women in this kind of situation to meet other like-minded women, who are also passionate about their job, as it is much easier to relate to and connect with them."

The idea is to have regular events where at least one speaker will attend, and there will also be food, drinks, and time for the women to chat.

Jessica, who lives in Clifton, said: "When I arrived in Bristol, I found out that there were some training schemes for women in engineering and technology, but no informal events. I had heard about different Girl Geek Dinner groups and met some of those women in London a few years ago.

"They seemed to have a lot of fun during their events, so I decided to go ahead and start a group here. I wanted to create a group where women and their guests can meet others with similar interests, learn something new, talk to the speakers and maybe even make new friends."

She is appealing for any women who might be interested to come along to the launch event – a free wine reception on Monday, February 15, at 6pm, at Bristol University.

At the event Jessica will explain what she is planning to do with the group and get some ideas from other women about what they would like to get out of it. Then there will be a talk by Josephine Reid from Calvium, a Bristol-based mobile phone applications company. The event is free, but register with Jessica. For more, go to www.bristolgirlgeekdinners.com.

The group is for women of all ages and backgrounds interested in engineering and technology. The launch event is free, sponsored and hosted by the Department of Computer Science at Bristol University. Jessica is looking for sponsors for future events.