Southern Housing Group helps residents reach roots
Southern Housing Group residents used online resources to trace back in time during a recent family history workshop.
The Group, in partnership with Society of Genealogists, organised the session at the National Library and Education Centre for Family History on Friday 28 October after residents indicated interest in researching their ancestry.
Two volunteers from the Group’s Computers in Communities programme joined residents from John Knight Lodge sheltered scheme in Fulham and Myddleton Grange in Hackney for the intensive two hour session. Residents used the library computers to search online records, including the Census and General Register Office, to find information for their family tree.
Resident John Harris enjoyed working with other residents in a new environment.
“It’s amazing what you can do on a computer these days. It was a great start to building my family tree.”
Southern Housing Group Senior Community Regeneration Officer, Jarumi Baldeon, said the workshop had provided several residents with valuable historical information.
“Residents who have been attending our basic computer training had an enjoyable day out and were able to practise their skills during the workshop. We found that family history research is a good way to get people online and the resources from the Society of Genealogists along with the ‘Family History guide’ from our partners BBC First Click will help us to promote our digital inclusion projects further.”
Volunteers were also able to find out more about online family history resources they can use for their training sessions at the community centres.
The family history workshop was part of the Computers in Communities programme, run by the Group’s Social and Economic Regeneration Department and funded by UK Online and BBC First Click.
The project aims to increase peoples’ digital skills and create new opportunities for them to access online resources for job hunting, financial services or leisure purposes.
Computers in Communities has been running in five of the Group’s community centres since September with sessions open to both Group residents and members of the public.