The Windhill Memories Group

Ronan O'Beirne

 

The Windhill Memories Group Website initiative involved working with elderly residents at Windhill Community Centre to develop their own Web pages. It grew from earlier initiatives in the project to promote centre web page development and there was a strong feeling that the Internet could be a powerful hook to capture people’s imagination - in a way that more traditional guidance and job search might not.

 

The Windhill Memories Group (WMG) is a group of older residents from Windhill, who meet once a fortnight at the Windhill centre and who had already published and sold a number of booklets based on their knowledge and memories of the area. The possibility of putting the information on the Web was explored. The group had little or no exposure to IT but were keen to participate, so a basic Web page was set up to demonstrate what could be done.

 

At a meeting of the group, the main features of the web pages were demonstrated and comments elicited and questions invited.

The group appeared very impressed with the look of the pages. Lillian Moorhouse, one of the members offered her line drawings of old Windhill and these were used to illustrate some of the pages.
There was an eagerness by the group to showcase and to perhaps sell some of their many publications using their website so this commercial aspect of the web site is of some importance to the members. There was a slight concern expressed that the synopses used to highlight the catalogue of WMG publications should not be too comprehensive lest it reduce the demand to buy books. On the other hand it was also noted that book-buying is often stimulated precisely by extended summaries of their contents.
A reply form for visitors to the site was developed with options arranged in various drop-down boxes. This aspect met with the approval of the group.
Other suggestions included the possibility of posting old photographs on the website, particularly where there is some difficulty in identifying the people and places involved. The Internet would allow ex-Windhill residents, wherever they might be now, to offer answers to such questions as "do you know the identity of the two chaps at the front of this football team?".
Another member wondered if anecdotes could be placed on the site and was pleased to hear that it was feasible.

 

 

This initiative revealed the general attitudes to technology by the WMG. Neither hostile nor confident, but accepting that the new ICTs had to be used. Some regrets were apparent in regard to the lack of expertise with contemporary technology, including using CD players and tuning in radio frequencies.

 

Following the experience with the Windhill Memories Group it becomes clear that what is needed is actually a much greater push, to generate momentum and to set the whole thing afloat. The Memories Group has already provided the textual and graphic content in its catalogue, abstracts and illustrations. They therefore have editorial control over content. In this sense then there is no danger of the intervention of IT professionals leading to a misrepresentation of the group. Instead there is a simple transference of material from one medium to another, i.e a shift from paper-based text to an electronic format. Ultimately it will fall to the group members themselves to carry out this process. Questions are raised over the sustainability of a website such as this in that enthusiasm, communication skills and technical know-how are in high demand and short supply.

 

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