An 86-year-old former soldier is Trafford Council's most senior member of their Go Digital classes designed for elderly people.

As a devoted attendee of the weekly digital inclusion class at Coppice Library in Sale, Arthur Payne has learned to navigate online shopping and email communication.

Arthur served in Malaysia in the 1950s and is now better known by his friends as Trafford's king of the silver surfers.

Speaking about his new-found skills, Arthur said: "I didn’t really have any digital skills before I joined the class.

"I wasn’t sure how to get online properly and how to surf the internet.

"But, thanks to Bethany, who runs the class, I am now able to go online and shop on Amazon – which is fantastic.

"I can also send emails to friends as well.

"The class is really good fun and I’m so pleased to be learning so much."

As part of their dedication to connectivity for all, Trafford Council recently inaugurated a digital inclusion initiative.

As part of the Trafford Tech4All campaign, hundreds of laptops were provided to disadvantaged families and sold to low-income residents at £60 in various community pop up shops throughout the borough.

Go Digital classes, delivered in an informal setting, are designed to teach the basics of using a tablet.

The classes, aimed at residents aged over 50, cover a range of topics from creating and sending emails to identifying online scams.

They encompass everything necessary to stay connected with loved ones and navigate the web safely.

The council is also seeking volunteers to assist with these classes.

Cllr Liz Patel, Trafford Council’s executive member for economy and regeneration, said: "It is very important that all residents across our borough are able to get online and to learn how to get online to help them stay connected with friends, access the internet and look for work.

"The Go Digital classes are a superb idea and are proving to be very popular.

"Thank you to everyone who is working hard on providing the classes and well done to Arthur for proving that age is no barrier to learning new computer skills.

"He is an example to us all."