Staying in touch

While we are in lockdown we have to find other ways to keep in touch with one another.

At National level we are producing a newsletter while the lockdown lasts - called Townswomen in Contact (TIC).
This is being emailed to everyone with an email address on our data base, and posted to those without. If you have an email address but haven't shared it with us please consider making it available - we won't share it with anyone else. To give us your details please send us an email with your name and member number to contact@the-tg.com.

Locally - staying in touch with those who aren't on line
                    
 -   set up a buddy system pairing those online with those who aren't, ideally the online person could print off information and drop through the buddy's letter box, or telephone the buddy with news, ideas and jokes.

-  set up a telephone tree or cascade to contact members - the idea is that the committee or officers each have a group to look after (ideally no more than 3 or 4) and each of those have 3 or 4 to contact etc until all members are covered

-  write to one another and post during your daily exercise or ask a neighbour to post for you

Locally - staying in touch with those who are on line

Computers are really coming into their own at the moment you can use them to  

- set up whats app groups on your phones to chat 

- use skype for a face to face interaction

- zoom is a newish software for face to face meetings and is free for groups of up to 100 users for 40 minutes at a time. The free version cuts out after 40 minutes but you can all sign back in after a loo break or making a drink, several guilds are already using this for meetings, knit and chat sessions or coffee mornings. 
 Find Zoom how to guides on you tube here youtu.be/9isp3qPeQ0E and here www.youtube.com/watch?v=hI32Xk2Va7M (the first is how to use and the second includes how to host meetings).

 Our guide to using WhatsApp, skype and zoom is here

- use facebook to set up a group for your Guild - if you make it an open group and members share with friends, you may find that you have new members to the Guild when  things get back to normal. find guides here

- the BBC has useful guidance here


When you have set up your group use it  to share one of the ideas below

Sharing ideas
- book club: read the same book and discuss or share what you are reading and whether you recommend it

- garden club - share photos of your garden as things come into bloom - share hints and tips. If someone is clear to deliver while social distancing make joint online orders and divvy up or share plant cuttings or seedlings

- agree to all watch the same TV programme and discuss

- watch a Ted Talk and discuss it

- pick an idea from the positive isolation sheet and all have a go.