The oldest known Instagrammer in the UK has started a movement to get the elderly to create digital photo legacies on the social photo community. Rex Redstone, 85, the self-confessed ‘Instagram-pa’ wanted to be able to share photos of his life online with family and friends.  After seeking help and advice, he teamed up with Barclays Digital Eagles to start posting on Instagram.  He is now encouraging other elderly people including his friends to share and showcase their own rich histories in Instagram timelines. To see Rex’s colourful history online, follow him at Instagram.com/Rexpeterborough

Press Release

INSTAGRAM TIMELINES

‘Instagram-Pa’ campaigns to get the elderly to create digital photo legacies

• ‘Instagram-pa’ and Barclays Digital Eagles want more people to create historical digital timelines through photos, to bring the young and old together online
• Oldest known Instagrammer in the UK, Rex Redstone, 85, is sharing photos from as far back as the 1920s through to present day

The oldest known Instagrammer in the UK has started a movement to create the oldest collection of personal photos on the social photo community site though his own digital timeline.

Rex Redstone, 85, the self-confessed ‘Instagram-pa’ wanted to be able to share photos of his life online with family and friends.  After seeking help and advice, he teamed up with Barclays Digital Eagles to start posting on Instagram.  He is now encouraging other elderly people including his friends to share and showcase their own rich histories in Instagram timelines.

Rex, a digitally curious Grandpa from Peterborough and an avid Facebook fan, decided he wanted to share his life online on Instagram, rather than let his album collections gather dust in the attic.  His family, some of who live in Australia, his friends and the online community can all now see some of his memories dating back to the 1920s, helping bring the young and old together online.
 
‘Instagram-pa’ Rex, said “I was born in 1928 in an era which was very different to now.  We didn’t have all the technology which my grandchildren have grown up with - the radio is as good as it got!  But over time, my wife May and I have got to grips with the basics.

“I knew there was much more for us to learn, but there was only so much we could do on our own.  With the help from the Barclays man [Digital Eagle] I can now share all the photos from my younger days on the internet, which have been kept in dusty albums in the cupboard for donkeys’ years”.

Alongside photos from his childhood, Rex has shared historical moments in his and his local town’s history – from the old piano tuner shop where he worked when he was 14, the bands he played guitar in in Peterborough, the time where he got wounded whilst serving in the Armed Forces, through to having the honour of becoming the county’s Bowls Chairman.

Rex was supported by Barclays Digital Eagles, a team of over 3,500 based in Barclays branches across the UK.  The Digital Eagles will help first-time or novice internet users to understand how the internet and using the latest apps can enhance their daily lives, whether that’s sharing photos on Instagram, using Skype or Facebook to stay in touch with family and friends, catching up on the latest episode of their favourite soap opera, shopping online or understanding how they can use the latest technology to manage their money. 

Steven Roberts, Pioneer for the Barclays Digital Eagles, said: “The Digital Eagles programme helps all our customers, regardless of age, to discover the benefits of being online.  It’s always fantastic to hear about the people we’ve helped and ‘Instagrampa’ Rex is a brilliant example.  Not only has he got to grips with getting online in his eighties, he’s now leading the charge to encourage his peers to do the same.  I hope more older people will join Rex reaping the rewards of digital technology from staying in touch with family and friend to saving money and keeping on top of finances.”

‘Instagrampa’ Rex concludes “I hadn’t quite realised just how many hundreds of pictures we’ve collected over the years, and looking back has been very nostalgic for us.  I’m really pleased to now be able to share these online with our family and indeed the world, and it’s allowed us to bring our memories back to life again.  Our lives may not be as exciting as our grandchildren’s, but it’s nice for our family to see how we are doing, because some live the other side of the world.  I will be encouraging my friends to use Instagram, it’s a great way for all generations to share their stories through pictures.”

To see Rex’s colourful history online, follow him at Instagram.com/Rexpeterborough
For more information on Barclays Digital eagles visit Barclays.co.uk/Digital-eagles

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