SILVER SURFER MARGARET LEADS THE WAY

Margaret (77) who lives in Thenue’s Tureen Street sheltered housing complex attends classes organised by Thenue’s “Smart Communities” project.

These are aimed at reducing the number of people in the communities served by Thenue who are “digitally excluded”.

Now Margaret is increasing her IT skills, chatting to her son overseas regularly over the internet, retracing some of Glasgow’s fascinating history and “loving” the regular classes she attends.

Margaret said: “This project is a great idea. We are learning all the time and it making life so much easier. Being able to speak to by son over Skype is wonderful. I wish I had learned this years ago!”

Funding of £81,000 for this digital inclusion initiative has come from the Scottish Government’s ”People and Communities Fund”.

The Project was launched after Thenue established that only around 38 per cent of its tenants have access to the internet or a computer compared to a UK average of almost 84 per cent.

Specific objectives of the project include increasing community access to computers and the internet and reducing the impact of welfare reform in disadvantaged communities.

There is also an element of capacity building whereby “Digital Champions” will be created who can in turn help the wider community to develop IT skills.