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 8QD.
  • Our phone number is 020 7254 2183.

What’s on.

What’s on in June.

  • Internet for Senior Citizens.
    New and returning learners may join our volunteer-led Internet for Senior Citizens online courses on Thursday mornings.
    We are also recruiting for a short course about using online money management sites: Look after the pennies.
  • Courses funded by the Hackney Learning Trust.
    The current HLT course (‘Digital Pictures’) is full.
  • Drop-in.
    Please read the next section on this page: Drop-in days & times.
  • Agewell Social Network.
    The Agewell Social Network also meets at The Lawns. It is a separately-funded project for Hackney residents aged 50 to 64. Please visit the About Agewell Social Network page for more information.

Drop-in days & times.

June – unsupported drop-in.

  • Wednesday mornings (10 am to 1 pm).
  • Thursday afternoons (2 to 4 pm)

NB: ‘unsupported’ means you should be totally self-sufficient, as there will not be a tutor to help you.

Internet for Senior Citizens.

Thursday mornings at the computer centre.

We have given the new Thursday morning project the same name as our Adult Learners’ Week workshops – Internet for Senior Citizens.

  • We are going to focus on helping new learners get through the online Learn My Way courses – including the ‘Online Basics’ and ‘Online Plus’ certificates, and new two online courses about health and personal finance. These courses are suitable for beginners, including absolute beginners.
  • The Learn My Way sessions will be 10 am to 12:30 pm as usual, in the teaching area.
  • The drop-in area will be reserved for Hackney Mobile Seniors – helping people who have problems with, or questions about, mobile computing – which includes laptops, smartphones, iPads, tablets, Kindles, and anything else which is portable and works with wifi or 3G.
  • From 12:30 to 4 pm on Thursdays, the computer centre will be open for unsupported drop-in.

There are no formalities. New learners can just turn up at 10 am on Thursday morning. For more information, phone 020 7254 2183 (ask for, or leave a message for, Rick), or send an email to info@lawns.org.uk

Look after the pennies.

Online information about personal finance for older people – where to find it, and how to use it.

Monday 24 June and 8 July (2 to 5 pm).

This will be a really good opportunity to learn about Internet sites that help you manage your money – and at the same time, you will help researchers evaluate a new online course developed especially for older people.

The new course is ‘Look after the pennies’. It’s part of the UK Online Centres ‘Learn My Way’ package. There are four sections: Fixing a budget, Getting more money, Spending less, Staying money safe online.

Course learners will also have access to all Age UK guides and fact sheets about personal finance, and we will give you free printed copies of the most important.

The course will take place at the Age UK Hackney computer centre: 52 The Lawns, Matthias Rd, N16 8QD

There are only 12 places available!

If you would like to join the course, please send an email to pennies@lawns.org.uk (or talk to one of our tutors).

Put more money in your pocket.

News and info.

Once seen, never forgotten.

The Lawns Cinema Premiere, 26 June (4 pm).

A few weeks ago, volunteers Neil and Renée had a brilliant idea. The smartboard screen in the computer centre looks a bit like a home cinema screen – so why not show films on it?

So that is what we are going to do. Results of our technical tests show that black-and-white films (not necessarily old films, just B&W) look best on the screen. Picture and sound quality are very good, even from the back row.

The working title of this project is the ‘Once Seen Never Forgotten Monthly Free B&W Film Club’ (suggestions for a snappier title will be considered).

The premiere film will be Top Hat – a prewar classic, which we will show on Wednesday 26 June at 4 pm (we will open the door at 3:45 pm so you have time to settle down).

The second film (to be shown on Wednesday 31 July) will be chosen by the first night audience.

You cannot reserve seats in advance. The first 15 people to arrive will be seated in the teaching area. After that, it will be standing room only around the edges.

All the computers will be turned off, but there will be popcorn instead.

Got questions? Email them to films@lawns.org.uk

Age UK East London launches a website.

Our parent organisation (now Age UK East London) has its own website at last. Do you like it?

Also …

New form filling service for ESA and DLA.

A message from Hackney Law Centre …

Hackney Law Centre are delighted to announce that, with the help of students and pro bono staff from BPP Law School, we have now launched a new service to help people fill out their Disability Living Allowance (DLA) and Employment Support Allowance (ESA) forms.

ESA and DLA application forms can prove very difficult to fill out correctly. We want to make sure that any resident in Hackney who is entitled to receive ESA or DLA doesn’t miss out by not completing the form properly.

To access the service, people who live or work in Hackney must call 020 7633 4531 and leave their name and contact telephone number.

A law student from BPP will then call back during office hours to gather more detailed information about their query. If suitable, an appointment may be made for the person seeking help with a HCLC supervised BPP law student volunteering on a Tuesday afternoon. All appointments will be at Dalston CLR James Library.

Benefits update – a free guide..

Rethink ( rethink.org ) have produced a downloadable 20-page guide to the new benefits system. Here is what they say about it …

“Everything from the bedroom tax to the end of Disability Living Allowance (DLA), crisis loans to Universal Credit seems to be happening in April. As a result, many people on benefits are fearful. Journalists aren’t reporting all the facts. And the public is completely confused about whether these changes are good or bad.

If you need to understand what is happening, either to your benefits or for someone you care about, download our free new benefits pack.

It covers all the changes announced in full so far. And it is in Plain English so that you don’t have to be a lawyer or a benefits expert to get the information you need.”

There are four main sections …

  1. Changes to Housing Benefit – ‘the bedroom tax’.
  2. Council Tax Benefit changes.
  3. Changes to the Social Fund.
  4. Changes to Disability Living Allowance.

You can download it yourself from the Rethink page named ‘Help to get through benefits changes’ – or, if you need help, you can download it at our computer centre.

We will have some example copies for you to read through at the ‘Understanding Benefits online event’ on Wednesday 24 April.

Computer help for disabled people.

AbilityNet.

  • “AbilityNet exists to change lives of disabled people, to help them achieve everything they can at work, at home or in education. We have a number of high quality specialist services for businesses and others who can pay for our expertise. We also provide a range of free services for people who cannot afford to pay.”
  • URL: abilitynet.org.uk

IT Can Help.

  • “IT Can Help is a network of volunteers who are able to offer free local computer assistance to disabled people. We can diagnose and fix most computer related problems; Install and set up hardware, software, internet, email and accessibility settings.”
  • URL: itcanhelp.org.uk

Aidis Trust.

  • “The Aidis Trust is a charity that provides free, impartial technology advice and support to people with disabilities across the UK. It is our aim to empower people with disabilities, through knowledge of assistive technology, to help them communicate and increase their independence by using technology to help reduce isolation. Our services are offered free of charge to those who receive no statutory support.”
  • URL: aidis.org

About us.

Who we are.

Hackney Silver Surfers is an AgeUK East London 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 computer centre.

Our centre at The Lawns is also used by other AgeUK East London projects which are not part of Hackney Silver Surfers, including the Agewell Social Network for Hackney residents aged 50 to 64.

Our privacy policy.

We do not collect personal information, or information about your browsing history on this website.

Contact us.

How to contact Hackney Silver Surfers at The Lawns.

  • Address: 52 The Lawns, Matthias Road, London, N16 8QD.
  • 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.

Street map showing location of 52 The Lawns.