Hello from Devon! Long-time lurker, first-time poster

Been reading Quirk Reports threads for about three years now and finally plucked up the courage to actually post something. I'm a 52-year-old primary school teacher from near Okehampton, and I've got a proper UFO sighting from 1997 that I've never really told anyone except my wife.

I'm hoping to maybe post a full account in Personal Encounters once I've got the hang of how things work here, but I wanted to introduce myself first and say how brilliant this community seems. It's nice to find people who take this stuff seriously without being absolute lunatics about it.

Quick question though - are there any other members from the South West? Would be nice to connect with locals. Also, is there an established way to verify accounts or do people just use the honour system?

Welcome! Great to have another South West member. I'm in Cornwall and there's definitely a cluster of us scattered about. The honour system is pretty much it - we're all anonymous anyway so it's not like anyone's getting famous off Quirk Reports! Just be honest in your posts and the community tends to self-police. Post your 1997 story whenever you're ready, always keen for fresh accounts.

Brilliant, another teacher! I'm a supply in Birmingham. Honestly the best part of this forum is that everyone's got a normal job and a mortgage and responsibilities, so you're not just sitting in an echo chamber of conspiracy theorists. That said, some of the regulars in the Government Disclosure forum are absolutely convinced the Queen knew about aliens. Fair play though.

Welcome aboard! Fair warning - don't bother with the Alien Contact subforum if you value your sanity. Lovely people mostly but some of them are absolutely convinced they've been regularly abducted. The Sightings forum is much more grounded. Looking forward to your account!

South West represent! There's actually a few of us who've met up for pub nights in Exeter if you're interested? Nothing cult-like, just paranormal enthusiasts having a pint and comparing notes. I'll DM you the details if you want. Can always use another voice of reason.