Pals reconnect... after 60 years
Christine and Betty reunited thanks to class
It’s back to the future for two old friends who were reunited at a digital learning class.
Long lost pals, Christine Maxwell and Elizabeth “Betty” Young, were reconnected by chance after they both signed up to the tablet class.
It was the first time that the pair, who were close pals in their youth, had seen each other in more than 60 years.
Betty said the chance meeting was remarkable.
She told: “We didn’t recognise each other at first.
“Christine sat down next to me and then the teacher asked everyone to call out their names and that’s when we realised who each other was.”
Christine gushed: “It was quite a surprise.”
The pair first met when they were 15 and 22 respectively and they worked in the planning department at Thomas White & Sons in Paisley.
They each moved on to different jobs and had families, and over time they lost touch — although always sent each other a Christmas card each year.
Fittingly, the reunion coincides with the beginning of National Digital Learning Week, which aims to celebrate how digital technology can make a positive difference to peoples lives.
The tablet classes, which are run by Roar: Connections for Life, in partnership with Renfrewshire Council, are part of the team’s aim to close the digital divide.
During the classes participants learn the basics of how to turn on and handle a tablet, how to safe search online, send emails, use social media, install apps, and sort simple problems.
Christine said not only have the classes helped her get the hang of technology, but they have also earned her back her best friend.
She added: “My family were always telling me I was behind the times so I shocked them all by asking for a tablet for Christmas.
“The classes have helped me learn more about what I can do with the tablet and it’s great that there are others there at the same level as me.
“I’ve also got another reason to look forward to the classes now with Betty being there.”