Irish Mensa member Cindy Friers has been using some of the skills picked up as a Mensa volunteer to provide a little entertainment to patients and frontline health staff during the pandemic.

Cindy, who edited the Irish Mensa newsletter Impress for more than 20 years, has been producing a newsletter including puzzles and quizzes for staff and patients in the Northern Trust of Health and Social Services Northern Ireland where she works as an Occupational Therapy Technical Instructor.

Cindy works at the Causeway Hospital, and has so far produced 11 of the weekly newsletters to help entertain staff and patients, especially while no visiting is allowed on the wards because of the pandemic. 

Cindy said: "Our local health and social services trust did an article on my puzzle newsletter. My over 20 years editing Impress really helped.

"I can only get enough time to print one a week as we still have plenty of patients in the acute psychiatric ward where I work as an Occupational Therapy Technical Instructor, mainly helping the patients with arts and crafts.

"The puzzle sheet goes to two other hospitals within the trust. We have no more visiting so, as our OT department is only open week days, the puzzle sheet helps distract patients over the weekend and can also be printed out when needed, making it less likely to spread infection."

The newsletter has also been included in comfort boxes for staff living in hospital accommodation during the pandemic, and emailed to other hospitals and wards within the trust.