A NEW group is launching in Cubert for quiet and introverted people to chat.

The inaugural Quiet Connections Meet Up for quieter people will be held at St Cubert Church on Thursday, October 1 from 1.30pm to 3.30pm.

The meet up is for people who identify as quiet, introverted, highly sensitive or shy, or who experience social anxiety.

The sessions have come about following Cornwall’s first festival of quietness titled HushFest being staged at St Cubert Church, which was a week-long celebration of quietness through art, photography, live music, creative workshops and community-made installations.Wendy Barritt, who is helping to organise the Quiet Connections Meet Ups, stated by the end of the festival, conversations had already begun about whether something more regular could continue in Cubert.

She said: “St Cubert Church has its own atmosphere of peace and tranquillity and the workshops during the HushFest exhibition thrived in the quiet surroundings.

“Starting a meet-up group here seemed like the perfect opportunity to offer hospitality and refreshment to the wider community - in a very quiet way!”

“At Quiet Connections Meet Ups, people can talk as much or as little as they like. They might chat over a cuppa, join an optional creative activity, bring a book or creative project of their own, or spend time quietly alongside others. There is no expectation to take part in an activity.

“The approach is simple: “It’s okay to talk and it’s okay to be quiet too.”

“Quiet Connections is now well known in Cubert,” she added: “There is also the possibility of starting a group for the Newquay area in the church, and that would be a great outcome.”

The Quiet Connections Meet Up will be staged every other Thursday from 1:30pm to 3:30pm. The gatherings may become weekly if there is enough local interest.