DAMAGING a finger tendon on a kayaking holiday has led the formation of an ukulele group in Colwyn Bay.

Ronald Burke, a former Coleg Llandrillo lecturer was forced to give up guitar playing when he hurt a hand while kayaking on the River Wye. He said: “Two years ago I damaged the tendon in a little finger which played havoc with my guitar playing.

“While I’ve never been a virtuoso on the guitar, the lack of a pinkie made a six string instrument, like the guitar, very difficult to play. It was then I considered trying a four string instrument like the ukulele and the rest is history.

He added: “As a former guitar player I found, learning basic ukulele was relatively easy and even with the ukulele, having a defunct pinkie was not ideal, I quickly developed my own style where I could manage most of the musical chords with three fingers.

“My reasons for initiating the new ukulele group at Colwyn Bay Rugby Club are two fold, as a former committee person at the club I feel it is a good way of introducing a midweek social gathering. Secondly, as a former teacher, I can combine the two skills and hopefully assist beginners and improvers alike to enjoy this amazing instrument as much as I do.

THE first meeting of Colwyn Bay Strummers, a ukulele group will be held at Colwyn Bay Rugby Club on Wednesday November 7 staring at 2.00pm.