OLDER people living in two North Yorkshire extra care schemes are being shown how to get online and stay safe.

Broadacres is staging the courses at its Rivendale extra scheme in Northallerton and Kirkwood Hall extra care scheme in Leyburn.

The courses are being run by A1 Community Works, a community organisation based near Bedale, which works to improve digital inclusion, especially for the disabled and elderly.

A1 chief executive Tanya Cook said: “More and more older people now have either laptops or tablets that they have bought themselves or which have been provided by members of their family.

“Some take to them straight away but many others can struggle to get to grips with how they work and what they can do.

“The fortnightly courses we are providing at Rivendale and Kirkwood Hall are about initially showing people the basics and setting up things like email, Skype, games and social media channels.

“We also stress the importance of staying safe online and to keep alert for phishing spams and viruses."