Pershore digital café helps older people access the web

A weekly drop-in digital cafe at Pershore library is offering older people an essential gateway to using online services. Age UK Wyvern volunteers offer help and advice on making sense of mobiles, laptops, tablets and other devices, every Friday any time between 10am and 12pm on the top floor of the library on Church Street.

The café, one of six run by Age UK Wyvern across Herefordshire and Worcestershire, has been running at its current location for several months and has helped users with everything from online forms to researching family history.

Glen Hyslop, a regular visitor, talked about her experience: “I had a laptop, but I didn’t even know how to switch it on. One day, I came into the library and noticed a sign for the digital café, so I thought I’d give it a go. I had an email account but didn’t know the basics, such as how to delete a message once I read it. The volunteers helped me get on track and now I’m a regular visitor for help with IT issues.”

Justin Rowling, who runs the café, is keen to welcome new users: “We offer help to people in a friendly environment. Some attendees come just once, to sort out a specific problem, whilst others become regular visitors. For a lot of people, the key is building up confidence, so they are welcome to come along to look at a website or use their email by themselves but knowing that they can shout out for help if they get stuck”.  

Age UK Wyvern offers digital cafes in several libraries, including Malvern and Ledbury. As with many services offered by the charity, volunteers are the key to making it a success. Mark Oswald, a volunteer at the Pershore café, commented: “Volunteering at the café gets you out of the house and meeting new people. You never know what IT issues are coming your way, but support is always on hand. We see people come to us worried but leave happy”.

The charity’s digital cafes are all free, though a small donation for tea and coffee is encouraged.