Our true good SAMARITANS

Meet three local champions who are going out of their way to show their neighbours that they are not alone

- GILLIAN HARVEY

‘Our club helps us all reconnect’

Toni Koppel, 61, is a videographer and lives in north London with her husband.

‘Can you help me with Zoom?’ a man asks hopefully, and I smile, all too happy to be of assistance.

I’ve been running the free Five Bells Computer Club in north London for five years, after its founder Paul moved away. I’m no IT whizz, but having worked in sales, admin and training for an Apple dealer in the 1990s, I knew my way around a computer. Plus, as a volunteer already, it made sense to step up.

Then the man’s smile falters slightly. ‘Also,’ he admits, ‘it’s nice seeing a friendly face who has time to offer help.’

Again I smile, and tell him he’s definitely in the right place. Every Tuesday afternoon, we have around 20 friendly locals who turn up to offer help with mobile apps, booking tickets or getting to grips with Zoom.

Technology is constantly evolving, and it’s easy to feel left behind. Yet people are embarrassed, or don’t want to bother family members, so we’ve helped everyone from a former CEO who’d never needed to send his own emails before, to a 94-yearold lady who wanted to sell her knitting online for charity.

During the pandemic, we offered our 250 newsletter subscribers some Zoom training over the phone. And so many people said how much that had helped.

Our club started in a local pub, where everyone brought their laptops, tablets or phones. But in September 2020, we were offered a huge, well-ventilated room at Alexandra Palace.