Older people offered free introduction to the digital world

Age UK Shropshire Telford & Wrekin are offering older people across the county a free introduction to the digital world, thanks to a new-look service from the local charity.

A specially designed course will help older people familiarise themselves with digital devices and enable them to get the most out of the technology.

The one-to-one guidance, information and advice on offer will ultimately enable older people to better use their computers to keep in touch more easily with family and friends, perhaps manage their finances online, order prescriptions or shop online, share favourite photos or be creative, find out what’s on in their local area, and learn more about hobbies and interests.

At the moment, the Digital inclusion team are putting out feelers to determine the level of interest in the scheme and to organise training sessions accordingly.

‘It might be a little while yet before we can start running these courses, most likely late summer, early autumn, but we would really like to know the level of interest now, so that we can plan things efficiently,’ said Alex Humphreys, Digital Project Co-ordinator for Age UK Shropshire Telford & Wrekin.

‘We know that some people who would like our help will live in small villages, and we will want to minimise the amount of travelling involved for them. This is a county of lots of winding country roads, and accessing public transport can be challenging for those in remote areas.’

‘But it would be nice to gather together half of dozen or so people at a time for these courses. Such a group might also offer a befriending element, where like-minded people can connect and perhaps take the group forward as a computer club.’

‘Ideally, it would be good to arrange sessions in a village community hall or church hall or in a quiet corner of a local pub. Right now though, we’re just wanting to hear from anyone who might be interested.’

If you’d like to find out more about our free digital inclusion courses, call Age UK Shropshire Telford & Wrekin on 01743 233 123 and or email digital@ageukstw.org.uk