Information for people new to Manchester
Information Services

Computer and Internet Access

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E-mails and the internet are a good way of finding information and keeping in touch with people in your home country. Computer skills are also becoming a very common requirement for employment in the UK, so getting some computer training can be helpful when you come to look for work after being granted leave to remain.

Access at public libraries

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All 24 public libraries in Manchester offer free computer access to library users for up to 2 hours a day. This facility is very popular (particularly at Manchester Central Library) so you might need to book a computer place in advance. To use a computer in these libraries you must have registered with the library and possess a library card.

Internet Cafés

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The other place to get internet access is at internet cafés, which charge a fixed price to let you use a computer and have internet access. These cafés can be found across the city, for example in Oxford Road, Rusholme (Wilmslow Road and Great Western Street area), Cheetham Hill and Levenshulme. The 'easyInternetcafé' in St Ann's Square in central Manchester has a large number of computers; Debenhams department store also has its own internet café called Café Venue. The library, community organisations and the Citizens Advice Bureau can tell you about other places where you can use computers free or for a small charge.

Computer Training Courses

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There are several training agencies in Manchester which offer free computer courses through LearnDirect UK, a national organisation which promotes skills training, online learning and information services. Contact Apac Training, Workshop and PAITEC for details of their training courses. Free 'Switch On' computer courses for beginners are available at 15 of Manchester's public libraries: contact the Central Library for details of which libraries run these courses.

The European Computer Driving Licence (ECDL) certificate is recognised by employers across Europe: the agencies mentioned above may give courses to prepare students for this certificate, and ECDL courses can also be taken at MANCAT and City College.

Some of the City's drop in services such as Oasis, City Centre Project and Cheetham and Crumpsall Drop-in run computer courses and internet access Computer courses are also given by organisations such as Mustard Tree and Inspired Sisters, Manchester Adult Education Service, the Women's Electronic Village Hall Contact the organisations directly to get information about their training programmes. (see section on social and emotional support, for more details on drop-ins in Manchester)

Television

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If you have a television in your home, you must have a licence, even if you only watch foreign channels or satellite TV. If you live in NASS accommodation or in rented accommodation and you have a TV, you are responsible for buying your own TV licence: this is not the responsibility of your landlord.

A licence for one year costs £121.00 for a colour TV and £40.50 for a black-and-white TV. You can buy a licence at the Post Office, either paying the full amount at once or in monthly instalments through your bank. You can be fined £1000 for not having a TV licence. Asylum-seekers and refugees in NASS accommodation or in rented accommodation are responsible for buying their own TV licence: this is not the responsibility of your landlord.

Once you have bought your TV and licence you will have access to the 5 main british terrestrial TV channels these are: BBC1, BBC2, ITV1, Channel 4 and Channel 5.

If you want more channels you can choose either Digital TV (you need only to buy a digibox) which allows you to access more British TV channels. Or you can Choose either Cable or Satellite TV (you have to pay a monthly charge). You can get foreign TV stations and programmes in other languages on some Satellite and Cable channels.

RADIO

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You do not need a licence to listen to the radio in the UK. Radios can be bought cheaply from shops such as Argos, or from large supermarkets. It is not easy to pick up foreign language stations clearly, though some are better in the evening.

Local radio station ALL FM (96.9 Mhz) has some programmes targeted at Black and Asian audiences, and you may be able to pick up the BBC World Service broadcasts. You can also listen to a lot of overseas radio stations through the internet. You can find the programme lists and the frequencies for radio stations in magazines such as the Radio Times or TV Weekly, as well as in some newspapers.

Newspapers

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Britain has a vibrant newspaper and magazine sector. Daily national newspapers include the Guardian, the Independent, The Times and the Telegraph (Broadsheets) as well as the Daily Mirror, Daily Express, The Sun, The Daily Mail  (Tabloids)

Manchester also has a daily paper, the Manchester Evening News and a free daily newspaper which is distributed around the city centre, in libraries and on buses and trains.

Newspapers are relatively inexpensive in the UK (between 30p and 80p). All public libraries have a daily selection of British newspapers which are available to read in the library.

The central library in St Peter's Square also has a few foreign (mainly European) newspapers in its Commercial Library. Buying foreign newspapers can be quite expensive but they are available in many shops in Manchester, in areas such as Longsight, Cheetham Hill and in the city centre.

For French-language newspapers try the library at Alliance Française, the institute for French culture: the Instituto Cervantes is a centre for promoting Spanish culture and also has a library with daily newspapers: you can become a member of both of these institutions.

If you have internet access, you can read national newspapers from around the world over the internet. Websites like World Press Review (www.worldpressreview.com) have links to a wide range of newspapers from around the world and have a free daily email service reviewing major international headlines and stories.

Books

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Books can be quite expensive in the UK; however, the public libraries in Manchester have a wide range of books and are free to join (see box above).

In addition to its English-language stock, Manchester Library Service has books and magazines in 30 foreign languages, including French, Arabic, Farsi, Bengali, Kurdish, Pushto and Somali. Most of these are kept in the Language and Literature section of the Central Library, though libraries in other areas may keep some foreign-language literature on their shelves.

If you want to buy foreign-language books try Waterstones on  Deansgate in the City Centre or Blackwells University branch in the Precinct Centre on Oxford Road.

Contact details

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