Marjorie, 84 Gloucester

Marjorie using her computer

84 year old Marjorie is a widow who lives on her own in Gloucester. Seven years ago, her son in law was relocated by his UK firm to USA for two years, and Marjorie decided to get online so she could keep in touch with her daughter and grandchildren via email.

She started out with an old laptop and a set of instructions that her daughter had given her showing her how to turn it on and off and how to send and receive e-mails. "I thought it would be daunting but it was much easier than I thought! Sending emails is really simple, and as soon as I had got the hang of them, I was hungry to find out more so I signed up for computer lessons!"

"I was used to operating a teleprinter in WWII" says Marjorie. "How I wish computers had been around for general use during my working life, it is so easy to correct errors, add words or sentences and print as many copies as one wanted without all the inking of the old days".

Marjorie isn't afraid to try new things out, and when she gets stuck she simply asks for help from friends and family. "My sons are great teachers, I phone them up and they help me down the phone. I learn lots from my mistakes"

"The internet really is fantastic, especially for older people who can get lonely living on their own. There is so much information on the web, I still find it quite amazing. There is so much to do on the internet it keeps me entertained for hours, and allows me to keep in touch with my family. Being a silver surfer is a great hobby, there are so many benefits, not to mention simply keeping the old brain ticking over!"

Marjorie, 84 Gloucester

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