An amazing year for Silver Surfers Day 2010 saw a whopping 50% increase in events being run all over the UK.
From ‘Computers for the Terrified’ at Newlyn Cornwall to the Silver City Surfers from Aberdeen there were 1,600 events on or around the 21st May, with an estimated 32,000 participants. The campaign to give over 55′s a day which is all about what they are interested in learning about the digital world has had its greatest year yet.
Thanks go to Sir Terry Wogan and Dame Vera Lynn who were our ambassadors this year and helped up get an unprecedented amount of media coverage which we are currently totalling. The BBC support meant that not only did we get coverage of Silver Surfers Day on a large number of their regional stations and The Jeremy Vine Show but also were centre stage on the BBC 1 Breakfast Sofa and an item on Working Lunch.
We saw more primary and secondary schools taking part in the growing ranks of ‘Schools for Silver Surfers’ initiative. Simpson Primary School in Bathgate West Lothan is a new school taking part this year who have organised a day for their community with the pupils from the age of 7 passing on the skills. A fun filled day included 11 zones which visitors could enjoy and which the whole school all had a hand in running. Ms Black who first heard about Silver Surfers Day and wanted to get involved this year said:
“Primary 7′s are very talented at ICT and passing it on. It was an opportunity for them to show off their knowledge in different subjects which all have an aspect of using the internet. The whole school is looking forwards to having a fun filled day of teaching and learning”.
More Housing Associations have also joined the ranks with Chevin Housing Group on of those new editions. They thought it would be nice to see what the take up would be for running an internet taster session for older people. They set up 3 computers for residents to have a go at accessing the web with I.T and other members of staff available to help out and guide people. Joe Howey, ICT Assistant at Chevin said
“Residents were queuing up at the beginning of the session; it was great to see so many people interested. Some residents had more experience on computers than others but nearly everyone who had a go commented it wasn’t as hard as they had first imagined. The taster session definitely gave some people the confidence to not be afraid to have a go on their own. It also highlighted the fact that there is another outlet for them if they are not able to get out and about, knowing that they can access shopping and banking on-line”.
We also had fantastic support again from libraries and UK Online centres which have a great track record of supporting the day. These places and community centres up and down the country do an amazing job of helping their communities throughout the year.
The team at Digital Unite would like to thank all of those event holders and volunteers who took part without which Silver Surfers Day would not be possible. So whether you are a veteran event holder since 2002 or just had your first taste of how running an event can benefit your organisation and community – we hope that you will join us again next year to break another record!
You can read more about the experiences of volunteers at the libraries who give their time in this article on Library ‘computer buddies’ share their experiences.
Next year – when Digital Unite celebrates the 10th anniversary of Silver Surfers’ Day – many more Events will be accessible to even more older people so if you didn’t get involved this year you can start thinking and planning how you can celebrate with us in 2011 contact us or call 0800 822 3951.