Digital Roadshow 21/10/26

Age UK Wandsworth are hosting our first ever Digital Roadshow event.

We’d like everyone to feel included

The national charity Age UK describes digital inclusion as ‘a matter of comfort and capability with digital technology for people of all ages; however, as we age, regardless of our previous digital experience and expertise, we are likely to face barriers to using digital devices successfully, for a variety of reasons, including poor health and mobility, loss of confidence and the issue of many digital journeys being poorly designed, highly complex and constantly changing’. ⁽¹⁾

Although this is not news to us, it certainly resonates. At Age UK Wandsworth, a local independent charity working across Wandsworth we are fully aware of the challenges that older residents face - both digital and otherwise.

Meeting the challenges

Since our revamped Digital Inclusion Programme launched we have worked with hundreds of older Wandsworth residents, who have joined us at our digital support drop-in sessions in Wandsworth libraries, at our Day Centre and more recently, at the Apple Store Battersea, free of charge. We have first-hand experience of the broad spectrum of digital support needs our clients present, ranging from taking the first steps in using a smartphone to completing complex online forms to access an essential service.

Age UK Wandsworth’s Digital Coordinator, Helen Bird says, ‘We help clients to manage their digital devices and make good use of the Internet; we offer clients dedicated time to learn how their devices can work best for them and encouragement to explore digital technology, so they don’t miss important things like software updates. I was really pleased to receive an email shortly after one of our sessions, from a client who said, ‘I have spent this afternoon experimenting with how to use Facebook; after a slow start when I thought I was going nowhere, I am now happy to report some progress. It has confirmed my belief that the best learning experiences come from getting things wrong before getting them right’.’

Our sessions are designed to be informal and inclusive, client-led and available all year round, free of charge. We rely on a small but dedicated team of volunteers to deliver this service. Our first digital roadshow is designed to get more people thinking about investing in and developing their digital skills as part of ageing well or helping someone else by supporting them.

What’s on offer at the Roadshow?

Online@OurAge! is a first for Age UK Wandsworth – a digital technology and skills roadshow event open to all Wandsworth Residents aged 50+ and unpaid carers.

The main themes of the day are very straightforward; it’s about getting online and what to expect once you’re there, exploring and using apps and online services safely, protecting your privacy and avoiding online scams, and what further support and resources are available to you after the event. Our aim is to reach the people aged over 50 who are not yet familiar with our services, as well as those who we are already supporting, and to celebrate the fact that many of us are online and making great progress.

We’re offering attendees the opportunity to enjoy some big-screen presentations with audience participation, visit a variety of help desks to get information, advice and support, and engage with our Age UK Wandsworth staff and volunteers over a cuppa!

Attendees are encouraged to bring their own digital devices (smartphones, tablets, laptops) with them for quick fixes or signposting to one of our Digital 1:1 sessions for further support. If you’ve not got a digital device, you can ask one of our team to show you around one of our digital tablets.

There’s lots more

Age UK Wandsworth’s Information & Advice and Age Well Together services will also be there to answer your questions on a range of topics, from Pension Credit eligibility – to your first online shop after coming out of hospital. We’ll also have support for using the NHS app, online banking and home broadband on hand, to offer advice and where to find additional support, and an update about the Digital Switchover being led by BT.

Celebrating Black History Month and LGBTQ+

Further attractions include our Heroes of Computer History display and advice from Wandsworth Libraries and Heritage service about using online records and resources to trace your family’s history.

As part of our Heroes of Computer History display, we feature numerous women - pioneers of their day in new fields of technology - including space exploration, as well as members of the LGBTQ+ community, who altered the course of world history and as a consequence, our lives today, through their contributions to computer science.

Carers are included!

Just returning to our opening statement about how the process of ageing can diminish our digital capabilities, it’s vitally important to understand the largely hidden role that unpaid carers play as digital enablers of friends, family and neighbours. This is only likely to increase in the future with a rapidly ageing population, and we need to consider them and their digital support needs as part of new initiatives and programmes as we go forward.