'A FUNNY five minutes' for a Tavistock woman at a loose end has resulted in a thriving on-line community with nearly 1,300 members. Around 12 months ago, Linda Osborne was at home twiddling her thumbs when she thought she would have a go at setting up a Facebook group. Linda said: 'I had a day off, I was on Facebook but there was no-one around to chat to. I was clicking this and that and I ended up doing it and then thought "What on earth am I going to call it?" 'It was just a funny five minutes really.' Linda came up with the name 'Anyone Remember The Good Ole Cosy Cafe Days in Tavistock???' — the Cosy Café being where she spent a lot of time in her youth, and which was situated in West Street, where The Ganges restaurant is now. She said: 'I waited and waited and nobody came on to it so I just though "Oh well" and went out for the day. 'But when I got back there were several people that wanted to be a member, and it's just snowballed!' Linda, who is a caterer at Tavistock Hospital, found the page was taking up so much of her time that she now has two friends to administer the site, Dennis Martin and Jackie O'Donnell. She is determined to keep it a local group, so membership is restricted to people living in Tavistock, or those who have lived in the town. Applicants' profiles are also checked before being accepted as a member. Linda said: 'It's such a lovely group — it's mainly older people, who just like to share their memories. 'One lady, bless her, she's moved up country and her mum moved up with her — she reads things off the site to her mum and she finds it lovely to keep in touch with Tavistock. 'And I've met up with with a few friends through it that I haven't seen since we left school. 'People put up pictures, or ask if people remember such and such, and it sparks things off. 'I do enjoy it, and people have thanked me for making up the page as it's bringing back such wonderful memories. 'I certainly never thought in a month of Sundays it would take off like it has.' Linda checks the page twice a day for updates, and looks forward to the pictures and comments posted by members. She said she had thought about changing the name of the site — but felt that the members were now used to the slightly quirky title. Linda is also delighted that the page appears to be fulfilling a social function. 'A lot of people have a downer on Facebook, but I think it's nice that people can go on there and chat to others — the feedback I have had has been really good. It's just like meeting up for a coffee,' said Linda, who said quite random posts could spark all sorts of conversations. 'They're just silly things that make you remember — for example, I can remember my Nan, who lived on Brook Street, sending me me down to Goode's cafe with a glass dish to get a quarter of clotted cream — you could go down with your own dish and get it to take it away. 'And I can remember Nan sending me to the the butchers to buy a marrow bone. She used to boil it and get the meat off it and make a stew with it — she had no money you see. 'Then people will say "Did you read the Dandy" and another will say "I liked the Bunty" and it starts off again.' Linda said there has been a suggestion that the Facebook page members get together and meet in the flesh, rather than over the internet — which is something she is considering for next year some time. But in the meantime, she is anticipating the membership numbers to increase — and the next batch of old pictures to be posted. 'I am amazed at what's happened — and I'm just glad it's making people happy,' she said. • To find the group, go to http://www.facebook.com">www.facebook.com and search for Anyone Remember The Good Ole Cosy Cafe Days in Tavistock???