Merseyside Digital Development

Most people know Easter is one of the most significant dates in the Christian calendar, but new research from UK online centres reveals that 62% of people in North West aren’t sure why they’re eating chocolate eggs, and a further 64% don’t know what the Easter Bunny has to do with Easter.

Around 41% of those surveyed were convinced we eat chocolate at Easter because of a 19th Century ad campaign, while 29% wrongly believed bunnies were associated in olden days with the increase in daylight hours. The findings have prompted UK online centres to join forces with the Easter Bunny and set an online Easter challenge to families across Merseyside, who are invited to come along to your local centre, look up Easter online and enter a prize-draw for a chance to win a brand new top-of-the-range laptop!

Get down to your local UK online centre and take up the online Easter challenge by logging onto www.myguide.gov.uk – the easy way to use the internet.

UK online centres Regional Manager, Julie Mitchell explains: “We’re so used to swapping chocolate eggs in the Spring that we’ve forgotten why we do it, and where it all fits in with the Easter story. Easter is actually a time when a lot of Britain’s pagan and Christian heritage gets mixed up together, and it’s a wonderful opportunity for families to get together and unravel it. The internet is a great way to find out all sorts of information for the Easter holidays – from learning more about Easter’s history to looking up cinema times – and myguide is the best place to start.

“myguide is designed to help web-novices or even web-phobes get started on the internet, set up a free email account and search for information quickly and easily. What’s more, those registering for a myguide email address by the end of March will automatically be entered into an Easter prize draw to win a brand new laptop.”

The online Easter challenge – perhaps unsurprisingly – is being endorsed by a very famous Easter figure keen to set the record straight – The Easter Bunny herself!

The Easter Bunny adds: “Obviously I’m slightly hurt by the survey results, and keen to see people find out more about our culture and what’s behind Spring and Easter traditions. Nowadays the internet is one of the best ways to find out the answer to practically any question you have, and myguide is one of the simplest ways to use it. The Bunny was originally a pagan symbol of new life because of the fertility of rabbits. Today of course my role has changed and I do a lot of appearances at school fetes and Easter parades and things. The fact is that even though it’s good to learn about the past, you’ve got move with the times, and Easter is a perfect time to get to grips with technology and hop online at your local UK online centre.”

Julie concluded: “An estimated 44% of people in North West are still off-line, and are missing out on a fantastic resource. The internet really is great tool for families, and it could save you time, hassle and even money in everyday life. It can even be fun, and that’s what the online Easter challenge is all about – you could even win a laptop! Families all across Merseyside should take up the challenge and use the Easter holidays to spend a bit of time together finding out about both the internet and Easter itself.”

Get down to your local centre this Easter holiday and register on myguide, or log on to www.myguide.gov.uk using your own computer.

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• Research from ICM Easter Facts Awareness Survey, March 2008, internet research from the Office of National Statistics Internet Access report, August 2007.
• Chocolate is eaten at Easter as a treat to celebrate the end of Lent.
• The Bunny was originally a symbol of new life in pagan celebrations due to the fertility of rabbits.
• Eggs are closely linked with the idea of new life and the coming of spring.
• myguide is completely free, and helps people who have never used the internet before get online for the first time. It’s highly accessible, and offers a range of courses, a simple, banner/popup-free service, an easy-to-use search function and email facility. It’s designed to be supported by staff in local centres, who provide assistance and reassurance - making sure people’s first steps onto the internet are a positive experience.
• UK online centres provide millions of people with access to technology and support in using it. They offer free or low cost access to the internet and email, deliver online courses and encourage people to progress onto further learning. UK online centres are managed by Ufi, the organisation also behind learndirect. For more information please visit www.ukonlinecentres.com.