THIS week Penarth’s independent bookshop, Griffin Books, trialled its very first virtual Book Club meeting in its latest effort to adapt to the challenging conditions brought on by the Covid-19 epidemic.

The shop has been holding a regular monthly Book Club since it opened over five years ago and rather than cancel last week’s session they decided to go virtual.

Following the latest government guidelines on containing the spread of COVID-19, which ordered the closure of all non-essential businesses, Griffin Books has now temporarily closed its doors and cancelled all public events in March and April, including author visits from Joanne Harris, Stephen Moss and Alexander McCall Smith.

Mel Griffin, owner of Griffin Books, said: “We are trying to be as creative as possible and are aiming to move some of our regular activities online.

“We held our first ‘virtual Book Club’ meeting last week, with 10 Book Club members connecting via videoconference to discuss this month’s read.

“I’m pleased to say that it worked brilliantly. As well as enabling us to continue existing activities using technology to replace in-person gatherings, we see opportunities to introduce new ideas to support our community during this difficult time, for example virtual book chat sessions, recorded storytime, and live online events.”

The shop hopes to use the same format for their other Book Clubs, including their lively Children’s Book Club for 8-12 year olds.

Last week, the store announced that they were offering a free home delivery service for residents in Penarth, Sully, and Dinas Powys.

For customers who live further afield, the store has offered to send books by post.

To find out more about the store’s virtual literary events, and to order a book, visit the Griffin Books website at: www.griffinbooks.co.uk.

Other businesses which have started a delivery service include Umpa Lumpa Sweet Shop; Foxy’s Deli; Crepe Escape; and Funky Monkey.

To find out more about the store’s virtual literary events, and to order a book, visit the Griffin Books website at: www.griffinbooks.co.uk.