Television actress and businesswoman Jennie McAlpine will be a star guest at next month’s Rochdale Digital Festival.
The popular Coronation Street star, best known for playing feisty Fiona ‘Fiz’ Brown in the ITV1 soap, will be at the event being staged at Number One Riverside on Saturday 27 February, which isaimed at de-mystifying technology and showing how useful, easy and fun it can be.
Jennie will be meeting visitors as well as getting to grips with a whole range of technology at the festival herself. Although she has an i-Phone, tablet and laptop she says she could definitely do with some help: “I do use the internet, but I’m certainly not brilliant when it comes to technology. I suppose I just about manage to get by, so I’m looking forward to seeing what new things I can learn at Rochdale Digital Festival. It sounds like fun!”
Organised by Rochdale Borough Council and sponsored by specialist IT provider Optevia, the festival, now in its second year, is designed to improve people’s digital skills with hands-on help and advice for all ages. Visitors will be able to find out how to do online banking, how to browse products, shop or read a book online, and get tips on using smartphones and tablets.
If you want to find a job, you can visit their Careers and Skills Zone for expert advice on the digital skills you need to find work in 2016 and beyond.
For the first time there will be a Digital Community and Creative Zone, highlighting local digital projects and how they can help you. You’ll also be able to play interactive computer games and learn about digital animation.
Jennie, who has over 245,000 followers on the social network Twitter and is a regular ‘tweeter,’ joined Coronation Street in 2001 and has been at the centre of a high profile storyline with her seriously ill on-screen daughter Hope.
In 2014 she became a real life mum for the first time too and in 2012 opened Annie’s Restaurant and Tea Shop in Manchester city centre with her partner.
The festival will include exhibitions and workshops to help you, and BBC Radio Manchester will be broadcasting live.
Over 30 businesses including Google, BBC iPlayer, 02 Rochdale, BT, Boots, Hopwood Hall College and Barclays Digital Eagles will be there alongside council staff, showing how to browse, buy and use services online, saving you time and money.
The festival brings together a range of exhibitions, performances and free business masterclasses. There will also be a ‘help-bar’ where an 02 ‘guru’ and students will help you get the best from your smartphone and tablet.
There will be friendly faces on hand to show how easy it can be and tablets, phones and computers will be available for people to try.
Rochdale Digital Festival is being 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.
If you’re already online, find out more about the event at www.rochdale.gov.uk/RDFest16
Rochdale Digital Festival runs 10am to 4pm on Saturday 27 February.
27 Jan 2016