Internet superhighway leads to coast for Joan

By learning a few online basics at a KCOM drop-in session, the 73-year-old managed to book her first holiday in several years using her Android tablet and enjoyed 11 sun-kissed days in Morecambe as a result.

Joan, a retired health care professional, said the seaside holiday had done her “a world of good” but without the ability to book the break online it may not have happened at all.

She said: “I didn’t know anything about computers before. When I was working I used them a little but you get out of the habit when you retire - and I never bothered to keep up with it.

“When I started coming to the drop-in sessions I found them really helpful; just learning small things to begin with, like playing Candy Crush or how to do my word search games.”

Joan, who lives at Humber View sheltered accommodation, one of the Pickering and Ferens Homes housing scheme sites that the KCOM community team visits each month, then decided to be more adventurous with her online activities.

“When I said I wanted to book a holiday, Helen from KCOM showed me how to search for the right hotel – one near town and near the seafront so I didn’t have to walk too far but one that was also cosy. I was quite surprised that you could do all that but I found the right one after a search around and booked it.

“It has literally helped me broaden my horizons. If it wasn’t for that I would probably never have gone on holiday and never had a wonderful time. It’s amazing what you can do on the internet now -all without leaving the house.”

Joan hasn’t quite decided what her next adventure will be yet but now she knows how to, she will definitely be seeking out new vistas online.

“I’d would recommend anyone to come along to one of these sessions and have a go,” she says. “It keeps you engaged and keeps your mind active learning new things.”