Spark iT Digital Champion volunteers, Carl Butler and Sally Hall were honoured to welcome Andy Kendall, Mayor of Yeovil, to the Digital Café hosted by the Gateway Coffee Shop on Tuesday 13 June.
The Mayor met Yeovil residents who use the free service to improve their confidence and safety when getting online and using mobile phones, tablets and laptops.
The Digital Café is a free service and volunteers are available every Tuesday from 10am until midday to help anyone from Yeovil and surrounding areas, regardless of their current skills or confidence level. The free drop-in sessions do not need to be booked and are a friendly, sociable way to learn more about how being online can improve health, wellbeing, connectivity, and access to services.
Spark Somerset’s Digital Inclusion Project Manager, Samantha Briggs, who runs Spark iT, reported that up to a quarter of a million people across Somerset may be digitally excluded or at risk of digital exclusion because of a lack of skills or confidence, or because of costs associated with devices and data.
She praised the great work of the volunteers, Carl and Sally, saying “Our Digital Champions are friendly, helpful, and knowledgeable, and provide essential support in the Yeovil area to people who need a helping hand to get online. Many local services and businesses now provide information and customer support online, and internet access also allows café visitors to increase entertainment options, discover and enlarge interests, engage in learning, and connect more easily with family and friends.”
Spark iT offers a wide range of services to help everyone in Somerset get online, including Digital Cafés across the county. To find out more, visit the Spark iT web page or call 01458 550977.
If you would like to volunteer as a Digital Champion, click here.
