Social, community and sports groups across Jesmond have become familiar with meeting online during this latest lockdown, but concerns remain for residents who may lack internet access or the necessary skills to operate video calling platforms such as Zoom.

Chris Clarke of Friends of Jesmond Library told JesmondLocal he is “concerned about the plight of those older people who aren’t IT savvy, either because they don’t have access to the correct kit, or they don’t have good wi-fi, or just aren’t very good at using the features on their computer, tablet or smartphone”.

As technology becomes more integral to community life, the gap between connectivity and isolation has widened too. Though internet use among 65-75 year-olds increased from 52% in 2011, to 83% in 2019, the Office for National Statistics recently found that less than half of people aged 75 and over are frequent internet users.

To help older or more isolated members of the community stay connected, Friends of Jesmond Library, in partnership with Elders Council Newcastle, has converted its regular “Wellbeing For Life” mornings into Zoom-friendly sessions. These monthly meetings aim to keep residents involved while offering a secure and supportive introduction to tech for those who need it.

Clarke said it has taken time to establish ways of connecting the community. “We didn’t want to put anyone under pressure when it came to tech but equally we couldn’t stop Wellbeing For Life indefinitely,” he said.

Bobbie Harding of Jesmond Community Forum is also part of the team behind Wellbeing For Life. “After a gap following the first lockdown, our sessions convened on Zoom, with additional interim ‘coffee mornings’ intended to familiarise IT newbies with Zoom,” she explained. “But they have now taken off as a regular event in their own right.”

After a recent “Anyone Can Draw” session, Wellbeing For Life participant Christa Clemmetson told JesmondLocal she had never used video chat before lockdown. She says she is benefiting from IT drop-in sessions and now uses Zoom to speak with a friend in Colombia, which she described as “absolutely wonderful for language learning”.

“I live on my own so the online Wellbeing meetings are much better than not seeing anyone at all,” said Pamela Denham, another participant. Meanwhile, John Bealey said he enjoys “seeing people he usually wouldn’t get to see” on Zoom although he finds the meetings “less fulfilling” than in-person sessions.

Faye Allman, who runs Jesmond-based Taekwon-Do classes sayes she too has found the shift from physical meetings to online “challenging” and that under the first lockdown, the club lost two thirds of its membership. 

“It was difficult to come up with lesson plans at first, but I’ve now found my flow and really enjoy coming up with new ways of pushing everyone through themed workouts and challenges over Zoom,” said Allman who admitted that she misses the “hustle and bustle” of in-person classes, but actually feels “closer than ever” to members who have kept up with their training online.

Eve Hemsley, a student in West Jesmond, said she keeps connected to her local community by using “Nextdoor” a social networking site for neighbourhoods and that she sees her family more than usual through fortnightly Zoom quizzes. “But having to interact through a screen is also a reminder I’m not physically with my family or friends,” she added.

“[Life on Zoom] is definitely different,” said Clarke, who says that no matter how competent some residents may be using the interent, they still say how much they miss “meeting each other in the flesh”.

Volunteers with tech skills who would like to provide support to people learning to use the internet safely and securely can contact Barbara Douglas at barbara.douglas@elderscouncil.org.uk