Number One Riverside buzzing for Rochdale Digital Festival

Date published: 04 March 2017

Number One Riverside was buzzing throughout the day for the Rochdale Digital Festival on Saturday (4 March)

Guests included actor Simon Gregson, better known as Coronation Street’s Steve McDonald.

Simon said: “The kids are seven, nine and one-and-a-half, so they’re into everything like iPads and technology. Dad’s not that good with it and all their homework tends to be on the PC, so I thought I’d check it out and learn a few things.

“It’s fascinating what they can do with technology these days. Barclays were telling me about this prosthetic arm that was made for a young child who would have had to wait until she was 18 originally.

“It’s absolutely amazing.”

Organised by Rochdale Borough Council, the festival, now in its third year, is designed to improve people's digital skills with hands-on help and advice for all ages.

Mum Sinead Farry said: “We live in Rochdale so we always want things to go to. The boys love these sort of things. They always do a great job at the digital festival.”

Her two boys, Jude, four, and Charlie, eight, were certainly enamoured with the festival, taking turns to use O2’s virtual reality headsets.

There was something for all the family, with coding opportunities and local businesses like Marks and Spencer, Boots and O2 showing how to utilities their online services, including Rochdale Council’s new My Account online portal for all everything council related.

Visitors could learn how to build amazing soundscapes and raves using a Raspberry Pi, and be inspired by Robogals, women engineers and their robots engaging and empowering young women into engineering and related fields.

The festival also offered masterclasses such as helping business to improve their websites, marketing tips and how to keep children safe online.