Newquay U3A Blog

Valerie Tams, of Newquay U3A, has set up a blog which interest groups will be able to use as a way to remain connected with each other.

The blog is attached to our normal Newquay U3A Website www.NewquayU3A.org.uk, so our members can access the pages via links.We have pages for most interest groups, which members can read and then email their ideas and contributions for me to add. Written discussion can be done in the comments at the bottom of each page, so there can be some form of group interaction.

Any other non-physical group could work that way. The bird-watching page, for instance, could be full of photographs of birds, either from past walks, or those that members have seen in their gardens, especially now that we are confined to our homes.

I have a keen craft member thinking about what to add to the craft page I set up, and also an artist friend who I am sure will give us some material. I belong to the music appreciation group so I know what sort of music they like to listen to, which is mainly classical. I am also including other genres, to encourage another, more varied, music appreciation group for after the crisis.

I have also set up an IT Skills page and helpline, in order to help those members who are less digitally confident. After one phone call, one of our members who struggles with IT has already learned how to use the blog successfully.

I have lots of other ideas so hopefully, by the time this extraordinary time is over, we will have regular output on our Newquay U3A blog to add an extra aspect to our regular U3A meetings, so that our U3A exists online as well as in real life.

I am so excited at the prospect of having something central that all our members can take part in if they wish to and are able to. It's an idea for the future too, as we get new younger members, who will be more computer literate.