I would like to offer a suggestion to your correspondent who is struggling with loneliness (Letters, 18 December). Find some local organisations to join. My husband is a member of the Doncaster Rotary club and we both belong to Doncaster U3A. These organisations have been meeting by Zoom since March and have been a lifeline for us.
OK, it’s not the same as face-to-face meetings, but it is the next best thing. Rotary meets weekly and has continued working on the ground to help the areas of Doncaster devastated by floods a year ago.
Doncaster U3A has several groups Zooming – French, family history, gardening, history, photography, German – and we recently had our Christmas variety show using Zoom. Crown green bowls and walking cricket continued outside when weather and rules permitted. Other groups have been exchanging information via email.
Both organisations operate across the country and have websites that can put you in touch with local organisers. Yes, you need the internet and I would encourage all older people who have been telling themselves they can do without the internet to think again. It has become as essential as a telephone on the end of the landline that it has largely replaced. It’s a message we have been trying to get across to older U3A members for years.
Wendy Hattrell
Doncaster
