It's Thursday morning in the community room at Whitebeam Court, near Salford Precinct, and residents are chatting about Facebook and all sorts of stuff related to computers. In the middle pointing to his laptop is Scott, a volunteer who has been roped in to teach the basics of everything from how to switch a computer on, to getting email, Facebook and browsing the net.
Everyone's chatting and laughing because this is no formal class. It's run by Whitebeam Community Association; or by the residents for the residents.
"I've been coming since it opened in September" says Norma "We'd had some lessons before but it was too advanced. This is ideal; you can ask as many questions as you like.
"I've just emailed my cousin who I've not seen for fifty years and kept in touch, and I love it" she adds "I'm amazed what you can do with it - check hotels when you're going abroad, emails, Facebook...And here, they don't bother when you keep asking questions. It's easy going."
One woman in the group is now Skype-ing her family in Australia, others are doing eBay, and while there's all the fun stuff that the net can offer, there's also the growing fact that people who can't use the net are being left behind.
"We suddenly woke up and realised that a lot of people around here don't know how to turn a computer on" says Jamie, a resident who helps run Whitebeam Community Association and instigated the training "There's over two hundred people about to have their jobs sacked at Salford Council as it's going web based...the DWP and job searching is going web based, the banks are going online...if you can't use a computer you're going to drown
"That's the new underclass" he adds "So we decided to do something about it and it really has made a big difference to a lot of people."
The Community Association got some funding from AutoTrader Community Fund and the Lottery, while it also took over a scheme that landlord Pendleton Together began, handing out free tablets and a year's supply of internet to its tenants, to encourage them to go online to pay rent or contact the company.
"If you come here we'll teach you how to surf the web, get you an email account and log you onto Pendleton Together; and once you can do that the tablet is yours" Jamie explains "It does come with one year's free net access but it's not unlimited download, just for emails and stuff. Meanwhile, if you want to advance your knowledge, we've got laptops which we've bought and will teach you anything you want to know."
While the tablet offer is only open to Pendleton Together tenants, the free basic training on Wednesday and Thursday mornings is open to anyone in Salford, and comes complete with free tea and biscuits in what is now the luxurious surroundings of the Whitebeam Court community room.
Previously, the Residents Association had to meet in the flats' foyer as they couldn't get permission to use the `community room'. But since this has been sorted, the residents themselves have fundraised to get state of the art tech equipment, a fully fitted kitchen and brand new furniture.
"Yep, this is ours and we've waited eight years for it" says Jamie "Pendleton Together give us just £380 a year to run job clubs, barbeques, Christmas fairs, child support groups, printer cartridges for printing people's CVs and to buy machines. We've had the room now for twelve months and we've furnished it, equipped it and got a stock of computers ourselves. I don't think there's any other community groups around here with anything like this."
And the Whitebeam Residents Association has thrown open its doors so anyone can join in. Some of the ladies at the training today have come from flats across the way...
Like Norma, Pat has been coming here since September... "My husband used a computer and since he passed away it was just stuck there, so I thought I'd take lessons" she recalls "I'd been to a couple but they were only good for people who already had some knowledge. We were struggling. But since then we've come here and gone onto the tablet and I think it's really good. And Scott and Jamie are brilliant. We really enjoy it."
Anyone wanting to join the training can just turn up Wednesday or Thursday 10am until noon at Whitebeam Court, near Salford Precinct M6 5HL.
The Whitebeam Residents Association is also looking out for volunteers to help with the classes, just anyone who can show people how to get email accounts etc.
For further details see the Residents Association website: http://whitebeamca.net/index.html
There is also a film of the computer training on Vimeo – click here
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