I'll start this edition of the British Association of Computer Clubs Column by featuring the four affiliated groups, the first of these being another special group.

Computers & Integration for the Disabled are a regional group based in Inverurie, Scotland, and can be contacted via post addressed to Mrs Kathy Warren, Craiglea, Main Street, Fyvie, Aberdeen, AB5 8QB. They can also be contacted by telephone on 06516 364. As their name suggests, their speciality is for the disabled of that area. They have 30 members and meet at the Garioch Community Education Centre, Chelsea Road, Inverurie, every day at 9:30am in the morning.

Not only are they covered by our public liability insurance which applies to all affiliated clubs, but also have our optional equipment insurance giving their members equipment insurance protection during club meetings and in transit to and from the meetings. I'm sure that they would welcome any able-bodied members that might like to take part.

The second group is Newtown Computer Club. This is the club to which I belong. The Secretary can be contacted on 0686 25164 or by writing to Mike Price, 130 Colwyn, Treowen, Newtown, Powys, SY16 INH. They meet on the first and third Wednesday of each month at the Methodist Church, Back Lane, Newtown at 7:30pm. They deal with all types of machines but have an active business section. They also hold equipment insurance.

Bloxwich Computer Club is the third affiliate. This club meets at the Frank F Harrison School, Leamore Lane, Bloxwich, every Wednesday at 7pm. They can be contacted on Prestel - 819990616, by post - Edward G. Hunt, 29 Station Street, Bloxwich, Walsall, West Midlands, WS3 2PD or by telephone on 0922 409291. They have a membership of 120 and have capped the numbers at that for fear of being swamped. They also belong to the Independent Commodore Products User Group and hold Equipment Insurance.

During a recent overnight stop in their locality, I visited the club to find two rooms at the school full of machines. These were mainly STs and Amigas but there were others, like a portable IBM. They deal with all machines.

The Bridlington Micro Computer Club is the last affiliate for this edition. They can be contacted via Kenneth Hardacre, 13 St. John Street, Bridlington, Yorkshire YO16 5NL or by telephone on 0262 601613. They are a local group of 150 members dealing with all machines. They meet every Friday at Burton Gallery, York Road, Bridlington at 7:30pm. Again, they hold equipment insurance for their members.

As I've mentioned before, we have started a very slow process of updating the entries on the database. Many of these date back to its inception in 1984. We are trying to update the entries that have gone unamended up to 1986. These account for many of the groups on the database, so it will be a very slow process. Nevertheless, it is bringing forth some fruit, so to speak!

The amendments received so far include the following groups, mostly regional branches of the Independent Commodore Products User Group (ICPUG). These were at: Ayr, Kilmarnock, Basildon, Basingstoke, Poole, Bury St. Edmunds, Camberley, North Gloucestershire, Coventry, Derby, Disabled Group, Edinburgh, North Hants, Leicester, Liverpool, Macclesfield, Manchester, Ministry of Defence, National 1520 Plotter Group, North Herts, Paisley, Prudhoe on Tyne, Scarborough, Sheffield, Slough, Solent, South East (01 668 3017), Swanton Morley, Wakefield, West Riding, Wolverhampton.

So, if you have a Commodore in any of these locations and you wish to contact them, let me have a SAE and I'll return it with contact names and addresses. Non-ICPUG groups amended were the Information Centre Manager's Forum, Guide, Key/Master Users' Association and the RAF PC Association.

Also being organised at the moment is the update of our starter pack which should be complete (as far as content is concerned), by the time you read this. In the last few weeks we've had a tremendous rush on starter packs. These are given free to any aspiring group on receipt of a very large SAE, big enough to take an A4 book! The areas to which these have been despatched recently include: Spennymoor Computer Club; Devizes, Wiltshire; Chelmsford, Essex; Tidworth, Hants; Tiverton, Devon; Edmonton, London; Barnsley, Yorks; Leicester and Iver Heath, Bucks.

From time to time we get computer users writing to us to ask us questions concerning all manner of topics, but often about the Association. We've had a number of requests lately about starting clubs within the school environment. This is all right, although I do advise that the Head Teacher or at least the Head of the Computer Department is kept informed. School groups do affiliate to the Association, and I do not think it a handicap for children to start their own clubs. The club organiser of today may very well be the DP Manager of tomorrow!

One enquiry I've had recently concerns the Computer Users Association of Ghana! They have enquired about our Association and have indicated the need for help and support from groups within UK. We are keeping in contact with them.

A couple of new groups and deletions have also come in during the last few weeks. The UK Software Exchange Club for owners of Spectrum, Commodore and ST machines; Mics User Group for the users of Marine Associates' Mics Products; The OS/2 User Group for the new IBM Standard; the Spectrum Unemployed User Group - a national group based around a cassette/disk magazine for the unemployed; the ZX Spectrum Club, another national group for 'Speccy' owners and the BBC Micro Wantage User Group for BBC owners in that area.

We've also received a number of deletions to the Database and these include a number of ICPUG groups, the Amstrad Software Club and the Tangerine User Group of Merseyside. In the next edition I'll give you some news about contacts we've passed out and club news from a number of groups. Also there will be detailed news of a new group for those in Carmarthen - due to start in May.

Bye!

You can contact the British Association of Computer Clubs, "Banc Y Rhosyn", Bron Y Glyn, Bronwydd Arms, Carmarthen, Dyfed SA33 6JB.