Where to find local Computer Help

Getting PC help from volunteers is a great way to learn new skills in a friendly environment. Daniel Booth shows you how to find local assistance

Start with your library

Figures released in 2016 by the Government showed that library use fell by 30 per cent in the preceding 10 years, but they remain the cornerstone of many local communities. You probably know where your nearest library is, but it’s still worth typing your postcode into Gov.uk ( www.gov.uk/local-library-services, England and Wales only; for Scotland visit www.snipca.com/26820) to discover others close to you.

Many libraries provide ‘digital buddies’ – volunteers who work one to one with people struggling to use their devices. In Surrey, for example, 34 libraries offer this scheme (see www.snipca.com/26821). Buddies help with tasks such as opening and printing files, searching the web, and using emails and attachments. Libraries are always looking for confident, friendly people to become buddies. Surrey Libraries’ page provides a good description of what’s involved: www.snipca.com/26822.

Try local Age UK branches

Age UK offers IT training courses that aim to ensure “as many of us as possible ultimately enjoy the advantages of computers and the internet”. You’ll find local branches by typing your postcode on the charity’s IT Support page ( www. snipca.com/26818, see screenshot below), or by phoning 0800 678 1174. Age UK promises to teach you everything in “plain English”, which is a pledge close to our own heart.

Search for an Online Centre

Run by the Good Things Foundation charity, the Online Centres Network comprises over 5,000 grassroots organisations, all attempting to tackle “digital and social exclusion”. Volunteers use the online courses available on Learn My Way’s website ( www. learnmyway.com) to teach skills.

Centres are based in libraries, churches, community halls, schools and universities, plus branches of Citizens Advice and Remploy (which helps disabled people find work). To find one type your postcode or the name of your town into the ‘Search for a place’ box at www.snipca. com/26819, select a location, then click the pink map pin. In the screenshot above we found a centre at Epsom Library.

Go back to university

As Computeractive reader Harry Hawksworth would testify (see Letters, page 13), the University of the Third Age (U3A) is a satisfying way to learn about all manner of subjects, computing included. Since it launched in France in 1973, people around the world have been inspired by its mission to make sure learning doesn’t end just because you’ve reached a certain age. There are now over 1,000 branches in the UK, running courses for over 350,000 people. To find one near you visit www.u3a.org.uk/find.

If you’re wondering when your ‘third age’ begins, U3A defines it not by age, but by “a period in life in which full time employment has ceased”. So if you were lucky enough to retire at 50, you qualify!

Computing help for the disabled

If you have a disability that makes it hard for you to visit clubs, you can request free home help from the charity Abilitynet ( www.snipca.com/26823). It also provides online guides ( www.snipca. com/26824) explaining how to tweak your computer to make it easier to use.

For help adjusting computer equipment so you can use it more easily, contact Remap ( www.remap.org.uk). Its 900 volunteers build specialised kit to help disabled people take part in everyday life (which, of course, includes computing). This ‘head mouse’, built for under £50, is a great example: www. snipca.com/26825. We’d like to thank Harry Davis, Chairman of the Lancashire north-west branch, for telling us about Remap’s excellent work.

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