Beating Depressing in the Library: From Transport to Computers in Dudley Libraries
A recently retired haulage contractor in Dudley learned a new range of skills in his local library.
Alan is a 60 year old haulage contractor who until recently had his own business which he owned for more than 30 years. Because of rising fuel costs and ill health, he decided to sell his business.
But after the first few weeks of not working, post-retirement blues hit and he became depressed and withdrawn and had to receive medical help. His family encouraged him to learn how to use a computer in the hopes that something different would both keep him occupied and be useful in his life. It took some persuading but eventually he agreed to IT lessons at his local library.
One year later and Alan is organising family holidays on his own laptop. He has met old friends online and has started researching his family history. He prides himself on finding best deals for golfing weekends with his friends, and when his daughter recently got married, he did most of the research online for venues and caterers.
Today, Alan is busy and social thanks to what he learned at the library. He registered with several employment agencies and as a result does driving jobs on a casual basis.