Silver surfer Jackie shortlisted for open Eir awards

After a record-breaking number of nominations for the 2017 open eir Silver Surfer Awards Jackie Minnock from Dundalk has been shortlisted for the awards ceremony which takes place next week.

The awards celebrate and recognise the achievements of older people using technology and the internet as well as the volunteers who teach these skills.

Justin Moran, who is Head of Advocacy and Communications with Age Action, said that theopen eir Silver Surfer Awards are’ all about driving home the benefit of being online to older people with the aim of getting more of them to give it a go!’

Orlagh Nevin, Commercial Director, open eir, praised those who were shortlisted for the awards adding: ‘ The internet opens up a whole new world to users and we want to recognise, celebrate and reward all of the great things our Silver Surfers are doing.’

She added: ‘Our rural highspeed rollout programme is giving more silver surfers in communities across the country the ability to access high-speed broadband keeping families and friends connected no matter where they live or work.’

Polio survivor Jackie Minnock, who will be 60 years old this July, approaches the internet with endless enthusiasm, seeing it as a way of opening up new worlds for older people and those who might have disabilities, and is a deserving nominee for the Hobbies on the Net Award.

She writes regularly for the Post Polio Survivor Group’s magazine, The Survivor, explaining how technology has changed her life, enabling her to shop online, trace her family tree and plan holidays. Every month she encourages hundreds of fellow survivors to get online and benefit from everything the internet has to offer.