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New digital support drop-in sessions at Epping Community Hub are helping people build confidence in using digital devices.
Improve your digital skills
Sessions are run by Voluntary Action Epping Forest (VAEF) and MIND in West Essex with the aim of helping local people improve their digital skills so they can access online banking, email friends and family, make health appointments and much more.
The sessions take place every Thursday between 9.30 and 12.30 at the Community Hub located at Epping Forest District Council Civic Offices in Epping.
Helping local people
Already the team has helped many people with issues such as how to apply for a blue badge and one man who as a street musician needed to apply for a busker’s licence but had no computer.
Chris Seaman, one of the tutors helped an elderly woman on a fixed income to reduce her energy bills.
He said:
She came in quite distraught following her latest quarterly energy bill, as it was considerably higher than ever before.
With the help of Citizens Advice who are located in the Epping Hub he was able to contact the energy company’s customer service team and discovered the bill had been estimated.
Although the lady is not computer literate and does not have a bank account, she had impeccable records and I was able to sit with her and act as a mediator to help resolve this issue on her behalf.
Afterwards the grateful lady praised the support she had received, saying she was surprised at the quality of the support available, and was incredibly grateful that such a service was there for people like herself without any digital skills.
She added:
It feels as if a weight has been lifted knowing that someone is able to help me though this awful situation.
Epping Community Hub
Drop in sessions held weekly every Thursday at the Epping Forest District Council Civic offices where people can come along and request help with no appointment needed. Being in the Community Hub benefits the numerous organisations present, as many of their clients/customers require assistance filling out digital applications as well as other digital support needs.
The types of digital support available includes:
- Completing online forms.
- Online shopping.
- Social media and communications (Email & video-calling applications).
- Banking and financial applications.
- Managing health appointments.
- Account creating and password recovery.
- Reducing energy Bills & Financial/budgeting tools.
- Teaching how to use new/unfamiliar devices. (Phones, tablets & laptops).
- Disabled parking (Blue badge) applications.
- Financial budgeting tools.
More information
For more information contact:
Chris at
- Email Communityhub@vaef.org.uk
- Call 07529 222655
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