Print makes a comeback as senior citizens' support group posts out newsletters to the digitally unconnected
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A grant from Scottish and Southern Electricity Networks (SSEN) will help ensure that elderly people who don’t have a computer or smartphone can still keep in touch with the latest help and advice during the coronavirus pandemic.
The support from SSEN’s Resilient Communities Fund has gone to Highland Senior Citizens Network (HSCN). Before the lockdown, the charity was looking forward to using the grant to support its face-to-face meetings and social events.
At these events, members and friends of HSCN could benefit from the expert advice provided by the emergency services and organisations such as trading standards, raising awareness of potential scams in their local area. The events also offer connections with a wide variety of services, along with social, learning and volunteering opportunities.
With the introduction of social distancing guidelines, all of these plans have had to be re-thought, and this has seen the HSCN team go back to basics and put all of its useful content into a traditional newsletter format.
With some 300 individual members spread out across the region, part of the grant from last year’s Resilient Communities Fund has helped with the publication of the newsletter as well as the postage costs.
Anne McDonald, HSCN co-ordinator for the north Highlands, said: “The first few weeks of lockdown saw our team busy producing the newsletter for our groups and members, getting them enveloped up and ready for the post. It was quite a task, but it was all worthwhile when we started to get the positive feedback from people who were pleased to be hearing from us.
"We’re already working on the latest newsletter as it’s important to keep in touch with our members and friends at this time.”
