Our Stories:
Meet Vanessa

“Throughout my life, I’d had stages which have put me on a different path. I’ve cared for people all my life. Most recently it was my mum. I was her full-time carer until I lost her to dementia earlier this year. There was this fantastic void left. I thought I need to do something for myself. I needed something which would get me out of the house. 

There was no real motivation for me to learn, so I just turned off from anything to do with technology. When I bumped into my friend and she told me about the course, I thought about how scared I was of technology, so I decided to come and get a measure of it. 

It’s a great confidence booster to come here. No one is judging you. Everyone’s on the same page and learning at their own pace.  Which I find very comforting and that’s a very important part. The handouts are pitched at just the right level and I can go home and try things out.   

I’m learning a lot and I feel much more comfortable with tablets and phones now. My next challenge is to get myself a laptop and I’m so grateful being able to access a course like this.” 

Friends of Silsden Town Hall benefit the residents of Silsden in a common effort to advance education and to provide facilities in the interest of social welfare. With support from GiveBradford’s Keighley Community Health Grants they taught Older people how to use tablets for daily life, with a specific focus video calling in order to make GP appointments more accessible.