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A familiar face dropped into local employment charity Highway to Opportunities last week, for a tutorial on using the internet.
Julie Goodyear, who played Bet Lynch in Coronation Street, has been taking part in a UK Online 'It's never to late' campaign which encourages the over 65's to try the internet.
Highway to Opportunities is Oldham's UK Online Centre, and Thara Parveen, IT Tutor, was on hand to give Julie a guided tour of the internet. 'Julie hadn't really used computers before.' Explains Thara 'So we started right at the beginning, using a mouse and basic computer functions, and then ended up looking at different things on the internet.'
'There are so many benefits to using the internet for older people, keeping in touch with their grandchildren for example, saving money through price comparison websites, or developing family trees. You could even progress to do an online course if you wanted to.'
Reflecting on her experience of using the internet Julie comments, 'I didn't know a single thing about computers and it felt like the first day of school starting to learn, but the staff at my nearest UK online centre were so understanding and patient that I soon stopped being nervous. The only mice I used to know of were field mice, but now I've learnt how to send an e mail and search the internet. I'm looking forward to learning more and using the internet to keep in touch with friends and buy flights online. A lot of older people are too embarrassed to admit they need to be shown how to use computers, but I think it's really important to try, especially for those that feel isolated, as so much of life is now online."
Media literacy, in today's digital age, is more important than ever. It can facilitate a more convenient, cheaper, community-rich lifestyle. Older people, who have so much to gain from the online world, are still largely missing out. Anyone interested in getting online should ring the UK online freephone number 0800 77 1234 for details of their nearest centre
