Rochdale Digital Festival

Rochdale Digital Festival

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Rochdale Digital Festival, now in its second year, was aimed at de-mystifying technology, showing how useful it can be and the career opportunities it can bring.

Coronation Street actress Jennie McAlpine, best known for playing feisty Fiona ‘Fiz’Brown in the ITV1 soap, called in to meet visitors as well as getting to grips with a whole range of new technology herself.

Organised by Rochdale Borough Council and sponsored for the first time by specialist IT provider Optevia, the festival was designed to improve people’s digital skills with hands-on help and advice for all ages.

More than 30 businesses took part, including Google, BBC iPlayer, BT, Hive Manchester, Community Arts Northwest, Boots, Marks & Spencer and Barclays Digital Eagles, alongside council staff.

Visitors were shown how to set up an email account, make video calls with Skype, shop safely online and how to set up social media pages, find out how to do online banking, shop or read a book online, and get tips on using smartphones and tablets.

Visitors were also the first to find out about ‘My Account’, a new online customer account, which will make it faster, safer and easier to access Rochdale Borough Council services online.

There were free masterclasses with experts including Google, revealing tricks of the trade in bite-sized sessions and BBC Radio Manchester broadcasted live from the event.

Boots staff and other health specialists were showing how digital technology can be good for your health too.

Mayor of Rochdale, Councillor Surinder Biant said: "This is a very exciting event and it is great for younger and older people who want to come here to learn something new. It is wonderful watching the young people and how quickly they pick everything up, they absorb the technological skills very easily."

Barclays Digital Eagles showing how to do your banking online were kept busy as was the appropriately named ‘Help Bar’, with staff from 02 and students from Hopwood Hall College assisting visitors with their laptop, tablet and phone issues.

The North West digital industry has boomed in the last year, demand for skilled professionals is high, hence the 'Careers and Skills Zone' was popular, providing advice on the digital skills needed to find work.

Councillor Daalat Ali, Cabinet Member for Neighbourhoods and Community, said: “I certainly learnt a lot at the festival. We know that digital technology is so important in terms of education, life chances, jobs and saving people money and time. If you missed the event you can still get free help and access to the internet in all our libraries.”

Rochdale Digital Festival was held as part of Be Online 2016 – a national campaign to help people discover the internet and how it can help them make 2016 a year of transformation.