Free Laptop Clinic!

Connect Lockleaze are holding a free Laptop Clinic at The Cameron Centre on Saturday 8th February from 12-2pm. If you have any problems or questions about your laptop, please drop in and we can give you help and advice. Is your laptop running slowly? Do you have a problem with it that you don't understand? We can help diagnose and fix many faults including removing malware and data recovery. We are also happy to help with any other devices you may be having trouble with. If you have a particularly difficult problem that is harder to solve, or may take time to fix, we may be able to book you in for a follow up session.

There is no need to book a place, just turn up and we'll be ready to help. For further enquiries please call Connect Lockleaze on 0117 909 1749, or email us at info@connectlockleaze.com.

We look forward to helping you!

IT Course Success!

Connect Lockleaze recently held a 6 week IT course at the Langley Centre, Lockleaze. The course was run by Kevin Brown, an IT Technical Service Manager at Aon Hewitt. The 6 participants learnt basic IT skills such as using the mouse and keyboard, writing a Word document, creating an email account, sending emails, attaching documents and finding money saving products online. They were also given the chance to bring in their own laptops or tablets for individual tuition.

The course was a great success and participants gave us excellent feedback:

"I enjoyed everything! The friendly atmosphere, the patient staff and the small number of the class."

"I had a great time learning how to use a computer as I did not have a clue until I came to the Langley Centre. The staff were very friendly, made you feel welcome and were easy to get on with. I have learnt a great deal more about computers now."


Janie, who helped to run the course, said "This was a great group to work with, everyone was keen to learn and helped each other too. It was great to see their confidence raised in using the computer as well as making a few financial savings. Kevin is a great tutor and took the time to answer all the questions raised - and there were quite a few!"

Well done to everyone who took part in the course - we hope you continue to benefit from your newly acquired skills!

If you are interested in enhancing your IT skills, please ring Connect Lockleaze on 0117 909 1749 to see how we can help you.

Give someone the perfect photo gift this Christmas!

We are holding a free workshop to help you make and order the perfect photo gift. The workshop will be held at Boing! (The Blake Centre), on Thursday 5th December, from 1.00-3.00 pm. With Christmas coming up, a photo gift is the perfect present to show someone you care, and you get to develop your IT skills at the same time!

You can make a range of gifts including:

• Calendars (from £7.99)
• Mugs (from £5.75)
• Key rings (from £3.75)
• And more!

Don't forget to bring your photos! You can bring them on a memory stick, digital camera or mobile phone - or you could email them to yourself. While the workshop is free, you will need to bring some cash for anything you order.

To book a place or for further enquiries, please ring Boing! on 0117 377 0406.

Why can older people be reluctant to learn about computers?

As computers and the internet become more important in our increasingly digital age, older people are among the groups that become digitally excluded or digitally dismissive. So what is it that puts older people off learning to use computers?

According to a study by Age UK, there are 3 main reasons why older people feel discouraged. These are:

• A lack of confidence and understanding about how computers work. What to do, what to press and the fear of doing something wrong, as well as fear over Internet safety, can put people off.
• Feelings of inertia can result from the large skills gap, feeling too old to learn or worrying that it would be too hard to learn. 
• Concerns about affordability lead a lot of older people to feel that the cost of computers and broadband is too high, particularly on a fixed pension. Although the perception was that costs have recently fallen, many feel they can't justify spending a large amount of money on something they may not frequently use.

Source: Age UK - Introducing another world: older people and digital inclusion.

Connect Lockleaze provides support to help older people overcome these barriers. We have friendly volunteers on hand and willing to help; they can answer any questions or reassure any worries. We will make sure that you feel both comfortable and safe when using a computer. No question is too silly and no problem is too big. Even if you have never touched a computer, we can help you learn how to use one and banish any worries you may have - it's not too hard and you're never too old! Don't think that you have any use for computers or the internet? Let us prove you wrong! The help with and use of the equipment is completely free, so money need not be an issue.

Get in touch to see how we can help you. Call Connect Lockleaze on 0117 909 1749. We look forward to hearing from you!

Friday Drop-In Sessions

Connect Lockleaze are excited that our Community Learning Hub drop-in sessions have begun! They take place every Friday afternoon at Boing! (The Blake Centre) from 1.30 to 3pm and will be running until the 27th of November.

If you'd like to improve or develop your IT skills, you can come along and use our free IT equipment while friendly volunteers are on hand to give any help should you need it. Maybe you have one particular IT problem that is bothering you or you want to become more familiar with the internet to help you find a job? We can help whatever your needs or abilities. If you don't have the time to commit to a course but still want to develop your IT skills, our drop-in sessions could be just what you need.

We had our first session on Friday 25th October where Elaine popped along for some help with a problem she was having with Microsoft Word. Volunteers also helped Elaine with her smart phone. Elaine said, 'I love coming to the hub on Fridays. I feel so lucky I am able to attend and have wonderful tutors, plus really good equipment all for free.'

If you think that you, or anyone you know, would benefit from these sessions, please feel free to come along. All ages and abilities are welcome! If you'd like some more information, please call Connect Lockleaze on 0117 909 1749.

Vote for Connect Lockleaze to win a 'Voscur'!

We are very happy to announce that Connect Lockleaze has been nominated for a 'Voscur'! We have been nominated for the Best Idea into Action Award, as part of Voscur’s Bristol Voluntary and Community Sector awards. This is an award ‘for the voluntary or community project that has had a great idea and put it into practice.’ 

In an increasingly digital age we aim to help those who may not have a computer or internet access at home, or simply need a bit of help understanding it all. Thanks to donations from HP, we have been able to provide local people with free access to computers, laptops, printers and Wi-Fi. We have 3 Community Learning Hubs in Lockleaze around Gainsborough Square where, thanks to volunteers, people can get one to one help with computers and the internet and access a range of courses or one-off taster sessions.

Our drop-in sessions have just restarted on a Friday afternoon, where the public can use the computers at their leisure, with friendly volunteers on hand to give any help should it be needed. From people who want to become more IT proficient in order to enhance their employment prospects, to those who simply want to be able to use Skype, emails or social media to keep in contact with family and friends, we aim to help everyone that wants to improve their IT skills.

We also host other exciting activities and courses for members of the community, such as cookery, DIY, money saving workshops, digital photography and first aid. If you’d like to show your support for Connect Lockleaze and the work we do, we would love it if you could take the time to vote for us. Voting closes on the 1st of November at 5pm.

You can vote for us and find out more about the award here:
http://www.voscur.org/vote/best-idea-action-award

Many thanks!

ITea and Biscuits Week!

Over 5 million people in later life have never been on the internet? And there are many more who struggle to do all the things they would like to online.

Well the good news is that Connect <> Lockleaze, working with NBAC's Community Support @ Home project, is looking for suggestions for an event to run as part of the Digital Inclusion Network's ITea and Biscuits week from 16th to 22nd September 2013.

The idea is to encourage people who don't currently use computers, tablets or smartphones to get involved and discover the wide range of the benefits that digital technology can offer! 

Here are just a few ideas of what our session could cover:

• Digital photography
• Researching family history online
• Using Skype and email to keep in touch
• How to send a text on a mobile phone
• Using a search engine
• Demystifying the world wide web

So, if you have any suggestions please email us at connectlockleaze@gmail.com