Joan Barker, Genesis Community's Golden Ambassador and Silver Surfer of the Year (2007) gave a presentation at the Mayors Office in London on Wednesday 28 May. Her message to 70 members of the London Older People's Support Groups (LOPSG), was that computers can have a powerful effect on older people's lives.

Joan's speech took place as Genesis Community announces it will be working in partnership with Essex County Council, and will invest £260,000 in its Essex UnITe project this year.

This partnership follows on from Genesis Community's successful Essex UnITe pilot programme to train older customers in IT skills at six Springboard housing schemes. Over 100 customers were trained in the past year and five have also been recruited as Digital Ambassadors to help promote this project to other older people.

Since being named Silver Surfer of the Year in 2007 by a panel including BT, Ofcom and Digital UnITe, Joan Barker has appeared on many BBC, ITV and Sky TV programmes encouraging older people across the UK to take a positive 'have a go' attitude to using computers.

Joan Barker says "I always tell people to just have a go. I live in a Springboard housing scheme, part of Genesis Housing Group. When Genesis Community and Digital UnITe gave me the opportunity to try using a computer, I was terrified. I'd never used a keyboard before - not even a typewriter. But I had a go and I was hooked. Before I knew it I had become 'Silver Surfer of the Year'! Computers are a wonderful resource for older people and if I can use them anyone can!"

Iain Mackechnie-Jarvis, Head of Genesis Community, part of Genesis Housing Group, says "We are extremely proud of our partnership with Essex County Council. The success of our Essex UnITe pilot training programme with Millrace is evidence of partnership working at its best and we look forward to rolling this programme out more widely."

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For further information about Genesis Housing Group, please contact Diana Evanson 020 8150 4178 / email diana.evans@ghg.org.uk

Notes to editors

Genesis Housing Group provides homes and services to tens of thousands of people across London and the south east. The Group consists of PCHA, Pathmeads and Springboard housing associations. It also has a charitable foundation, Genesis Community, and is one of the largest and most successful housing groups in the UK. Genesis Housing Group owns and/or manages more than 40,000 homes across London and the south east. Its overiding aim is to put customers first and provide excellent service to all.

Genesis Community and Essex UnITe

The investment of £260,000 will be paid directly to the social business, Millrace IT, who will be providing the IT training for all the residents engaged in this programme. Millrace IT is also seeking match funding from the Lottery Fund to ensure that this project is undertaken over a three-year period.

The current partnership that Genesis Community has set up with Essex County Council includes the local branches of Help The Aged and Age Concern, in addition to the social business Millrace IT. This partnership is now being extended to include the social housing provider Chelmer Housing in accordance with the Essex UnITe's longer term plans to roll out this programme to older people throughout Essex. The next stage of the programme will seek to provide training to the residents of at least 25 supported housing schemes in Essex.

The Essex UnITe programme is based on the award winning London UnITe project undertaken with Springboard's East London supported housing schemes' customers. It aims to build on this success by using IT to encourage social inclusion as well as increasing older people's confidence and independence by creating a variety of life long learning and volunteering opportunities. Plans are also being drawn up to make training opportunities available to older people who are living in General Needs accommodation within the surrounding neighbourhoods of participating schemes.