Miles Waghorn

Update : Article from Digital Journal October 2022

Update : Article from Business Live November 2019

I’m a 24 year old entrepreneur, writer and all-round life enthusiast!. I think three words to sum me up are driven, fun and adventurous. When i’m not working on my businesses or helping people with their gadgets, I enjoy a range of extreme sports and DJing in nightclubs across the country.

Age UK recently stated that over a million older people in the UK haven’t spoken to anyone in the last month. An increasingly aging population is arguably one of the most influential phenomena to affect modern Western society. Aside from the obvious implications for healthcare, the effects on mental health, social wellbeing and happiness are already apparent. Many older people are experiencing sustained loneliness due to isolation in their community. I believe that technology holds the key to keeping them safe and better connected, so they can live a happier, healthier and more independent lifestyle.

After being bombarded by technical questions from older people during a part-time job in the technology department of a supermarket during my teenage years, I realised there was a distinct gap in the market for a retailer that focuses of friendly, honest and expert customer service. During my second year studying Business & Entrepreneurship at Nottingham Trent University, I launched TechSilver.co.uk. An amalgamation of demand from our increasingly aging population, a unique range of gadgets to support later lifestyle and top-notch service, TechSilver has since evolved to offer everything from easy-to-use smartphones to GPS trackers for Dementia sufferers.

Whilst in the USA, i’ll be researching the relationship between aging and technology in American society. This will include meeting organisations in the senior technologies sector, seeking innovations which could be brought back to benefit the people of Nottinghamshire. Alongside this I will visit charities and social enterprises to learn more about the ways in which local organisations can help to combat social problems like isolation here in our community. Due to the number of connections with individuals, firms and charities working with older people in Nottingham I possess, there will be a direct correlation between the knowledge accrued in the USA and the benefit brought to seniors across the county.