Free computer training, free access to the Internet, and free support for senior citizens in Hackney.
Start here.
We are Hackney Silver Surfers and 52 The Lawns is our main centre. We provide free computer training and free Internet access to everybody over 50 in Hackney. Everything we do is free, informal and very friendly. All you have to do is come along and ring the door bell.
- Our address is 52 The Lawns, Matthias Road, London, N16 8QB.
- Our phone number is 020 7254 2183.
- There is a map in our Contact us section.
- There is more information in our About us section.
What’s on at The Lawns.
Wednesday mornings, 10 am to 1 pm.
- StartIT course in the teaching area (the course is full).
- Drop-in in the front area.
Thursday mornings, 10 am to 1 pm.
- StartIT course in the teaching area (the course is full).
- Drop-in in the front area.
Thursday afternoons, 2 to 5 pm.
- Hackney Healthy Eating Project Silver Surfers group in the teaching area (and you are welcome to join in).
- Quiet drop-in in the front area.
- NB: the Hackney Healthy Eating group do a lot of photography and some filming, and ask all participants and drop-in people to complete a photo consent form.
Courses.
City & Guilds courses at Hackney Silver Surfers.
Our City & Guilds courses have been very popular for many years. They are free to Hackney residents aged 50 or better. They are funded by the Hackney Learning Trust. The tutor is Julie Usher. The venue is our main centre: 52 The Lawns, N16 8QB.
City & Guilds StartIT.
The City & Guilds ‘StartIT’ certificate is a basic qualification for beginners – designed and taught specifically for older people with little previous experience of computers or the Internet. It is one of the most successful and popular activities we have offered at The Lawns.
Our current StartIT course.
This course has been enrolled, and is now full.
- Topics: computer basics, file management, World-Wide Web, email, word-processing.
- Sixty hours, spread over ten weeks – every Wednesday and Thursday (10 am to 1 pm).
- Starts: Wednesday 25 January 2012.
- Ends: Thursday 29 March 2012.
Music online: short courses for beginners at Hackney Silver Surfers.
The Hackney Learning Trust is funding two more short courses about Music Online. They are free to Hackney residents aged 50 or better. There will be five sessions in each course. The two courses have identical content. The tutor is Julie Usher. The venue is our main centre: 52 The Lawns, N16 8QB.
Course content.
- Finding and listening to music on the internet.
- Learn about iTunes, iPods, online music stores, YouTube.
- Internet radio.
- Downloading and purchasing music from the internet.
- Internet music forums.
- Staying safe and copyright.
Music Online A (January – February).
- Fifteen hours, spread over five weeks.
This course has been postponed.
Music Online B (March – April).
- Fifteen hours, spread over five weeks – every Wednesday (2 to 5 pm).
- Starts: Wednesday 7 March.
- Ends: Wednesday 4 April.
- Enrolment: Wednesday afternoon, 29 February (2 to 5 pm).
- Commitment: you should be able to attend all 5 sessions.
We will be open for formal assessment and enrolment of Music Online B on Wednesday 29 February, 2 to 5 pm. It’s a simple procedure which takes about 30 minutes to complete. You must attend in person. You cannot enrol by phone or email.
Hackney residents involved in the MiCommunity Intergenerational Project will not be able to attend this enrolment – so we will arrange a separate enrolment session just for them on a convenient day.
More information.
If you cannot attend for enrolment on the days and times arranged, or if you need further information – please contact Rick by email to courses@lawns.org.uk or phone 020 7254 2183.
Silver Surfers Talking Food.
Hackney Healthy Eating Project, Silver Surfers group.
The Silver Surfers group of the Hackney Healthy Eating Project meets every Thursday afternoon at The Lawns computer centre. We call it ‘Talking Food’.
Talking Food Thursdays, 2 to 5 pm.
Every session is different, but here is the general outline …
- We talk about healthy food, recipes and shopping.
- We record what we say, and make audio files that we can send by email and post on a web site.
- We take digital photographs and we scan drawings or paintings. We learn how to attach them to emails, and post on our web site.
- We learn how to find important information – about food other other things – on the World Wide Web.
- So our focus is on food, but we are learning more about computers and the Internet at the same time.
- Each person is doing something a bit different, according to their own background and skills.
- Talking Food is very beginner-friendly.
- There is room for you to join in too.
On the menu, Thursday 2 February 2012.
What do you know about citrus fruit?
- Do you know how nutritious citrus fruit is?
- Would you like to share your citrus fruit recipes and knowledge?
- Would you like to know how to find citrus fruit recipes and other information on the World Wide Web?
How to join us.
If you want to, you can just turn up next Thursday 2 February at 2 pm. If you want to tell us in advance that you are interested, send an email to hep@lawns.org.uk, or a phone call to 020 7254 2183 (leave a very clear message if there is no answer).
By the way.
We do a lot of digital photography and sound recording, and sometimes filming too. It’s all part of our digital learning. Some of those photographs and videos will be on our web site. So we ask everybody who comes to Talking Food (including visitors) to sign a photo consent form.
Eligibility.
All Hackney residents aged 50 or better.
Links.
In this section: Webmail links / Learning links / Other useful links.
Webmail links.
Here are links to some of the webmail services used by Hackney Silver Surfers at The Lawns.
Learning links.
BBC First Click.
- Computer basics – Starting point for videos about how to use your computer, mouse and keyboard.
- Internet basics – Starting point for videos about understanding and using the World Wide Web and email.
BBC tutorials for beginners.
- BBC – Absolute beginners’ guide to using computers (with sound) – Showing its age now, but still a good starting point. Most learners can get to the end in a single two-hour session, and are rewarded by a certificate that they can print off.
- BBC – Absolute beginners’ guide to using computers – This version does not use sound.
- BBC – Learning Online – Information Technology – Links to online resources for learning about computers and information technology.
- BBC – Learning Online – Adult Learners – Online learning, support and advice.
- BBC – Skillswise – Improve your English and maths.
- BBC – Webwise – Beginner’s guide to the Internet, with an online tutorial.
- Webwise Guides – Guides to: Online sharing (photos, podcasts, social networks), Watching TV online, Getting online.
Learning Zone.
- Learning Zone – Digital Unite’s Learning Zone is a good online destination after the BBC for learners who have learnt a little about email. Learning Zone provides access to about 60 useful guides in PDF format. Learners can print them (they are all quite short), then follow the guides in their own way.
More advanced learning.
- ALISON – Free online learning resource for basic and essential workplace skills.
- OpenLearn – Free educational resources from The Open University.
- Virtual Training Suite – A set of free online tutorials designed to help students, lecturers and researchers improve their Internet information literacy and IT skills.
Other learning resources.
- Email Etiquette – How to send an email that the recipient will definitely read.
- Jigzone – Online jigsaws, good for learning mouse skills
- Money Matters To Me : Interactive Workshops – Help learners with mouse control, or with their numeracy or with samples of Internet on-line activities.
- Standard Windows Keyboard Layout – Illustration and explanation of the keys.
Other useful links.
News and info.
Free computer help desk for senior citizens.
This is a free service for older people who need computer help …
“You can telephone the Help Desk at the Zenos Academy in West London any time between 9.30 am and 12.30 pm on Monday to Friday, excluding Bank Holidays, and there will be someone to speak to you who will do their best to help you.
Call us on 08451 770568 or email your question to helpdesk@zenossupport.com whenever you think we can help.”
Videos.
Behind the scenes of the Age UK TV ad.
Get more out of life online.
Caring and sharing – computers for carers.
A Skype short story.
Silver Retail Price Index.
Could you be a Digital Champion?
Jeremy Vine’s advice for staying safe online.
Opening Doors London.
Silver Surfers Day.
Felicia’s story.
Digital Inclusion at Hackney Silver Surfers.
Volunteer with Age UK.
About us.
Who we are.
Hackney Silver Surfers is an AgeUK Hackney project providing free computer training and free Internet access to everybody over 50 in Hackney.
We are a centre of expertise in understanding the impact on older people of rapidly developing new technology, and how older people can learn to use it to their advantage.
Our staff and volunteers are familiar with the whole range of new technology, and are skilled at communicating it to older people to enable them to pick the bits which interest them. That is all we do — continuously since 2003.
What we do.
We offer a range of activities to match the needs of all our service users, whatever their age or circumstances (including the most sceptical). Much of the time we are open for ‘drop-in’, which means you can come along and use our computers for any purpose you have in mind, and also for one-to-one learning with our helpful volunteers. That is how most of our beginners become proficient Internet users.
We have a very strong user base — regular contact with hundreds of older people in Hackney. Since we opened in 2003, more than 1500 people have used our services. However, our aim is to reach everybody in Hackney who is 50 or over.
Also at The Lawns.
Our centre at The Lawns is also used by other AgeUK Hackney projects which are not part of Hackney Silver Surfers, including the Agewell Computer Club for Hackney residents aged 50 to 65.
Contact us.
How to contact Hackney Silver Surfers at The Lawns.
- Address: 52 The Lawns, Matthias Road, London, N16 8QB.
- Location: The Lawns is a shopping precinct halfway along Matthias Road — on your left if you approach from Newington Green, on your right if coming from Dalston. Look for the shop-front with Age Concern Hackney in the window. The 236 bus (Hackney Wick to Finsbury Park) stops almost outside The Lawns, both directions.
- Maps: Google map / Street map / Google Streetview (it’s the shopfront next to ‘Bets R Us’).
- Phone: 020 7254 2183 .
- Email: hss@lawns.org.uk .
We are where the red dot is.
Street map showing location of 52 The Lawns.
