Otley Action for Older People (OAOP) is a registered charitable company established in 2013, supporting independent living for those aged 60+ in Otley, Arthington, and Pool-in-Wharfedale.
As one of Leeds Neighbourhood Networks, OAOP deliver over 40 different services, focusing resources on promoting social inclusion. Staff members coordinate and deliver weekly luncheon clubs, art classes, exercise classes, digital skills support, memory cafe sessions, as well as regular scheduled trips.
Staff also support service users with:
- Benefit enquiries and applications
- Housing adjustments
- Arranging care provision
- Transport to appointments
- Pension queries
- Other challenges associated with ageing and living at home
OAOP support older people who are digitally excluded, often due to a lack of access to equipment and connectivity. Barriers also include a lack of confidence in digital, financial circumstances, decreased mobility, and low motivation.
100% Digital Leeds has worked in partnership with OAOP since 2020. In 2023 OAOP employed a full-time Digital Inclusion Development Worker to establish a digital inclusion offer within the organisation.
OAOP has seen an increased demand for support and advice regarding all aspects of digital inclusion since 2023 and have expanded on their digital inclusion offer, adapting to need and providing further support. This has led to OAOP delivering regular digital inclusion support at their centre, providing at home support, and working in partnership with local Housing schemes to deliver digital inclusion support to those less mobile and unable to visit their centre.
Developing their digital inclusion offer
Through the pandemic OAOP were made of aware of how digitally excluded many of their community were and prioritised building digital inclusion support into their service offer. They successful applied for a Big Lottery Fund award which allowed them to recruit a Digital Inclusion Worker, increasing their capacity to support digital inclusion. This allowed the organisation to set up Otley Internet Café, offering support to help members get online and do more with their digital devices.
Otley Internet Café supported 240 people in their first year and has continued to see over 100 people each year since. Attendees use the sessions as a supported space to learn how to use their digital devices, such as mobile phones, tablets, laptops, smart watches and Bluetooth devices. People also request advice on how to make best use of digital technology such as PCs, printers, landlines and smart devices. Attendees can practise their digital skills, and complete basic tasks such as checking emails. With local banks closing, OAOP saw a rise in demand for support with internet banking, so they started to offer one to one support with online banking alongside other digital skills within the Internet Café.People are supported to access a wide range of digital tools useful to older people such as transport apps, digital health tools, and communication tools helping people to stay in touch with friends and family.
“We found people like to come back week-on-week for a period of time. We help them build confidence, then, when they feel they can do things online themselves, they feel more independent and tend to attend the sessions only when they have a question or want to learn something new”.
Digital Inclusion Worker, OAOP.
Providing digital support at home
As they work across a rural area, OAOP has found that many of their members are unable to visit Otley Internet Café for support. As a result, they have expanded their offer, with their Digital Inclusion Worker now providing in-home digital support to those with mobility issues.
OAOP found that a lack of equipment and lack of digital skills were common digital inclusion barriers across their community, so they purchased tablets to develop a tablet lending scheme. Members can borrow tablets for up to four weeks to see the difference that a digital device alongside digital skills support can make to their lives.
OAOP received NHS funding to support the Enhance project working in partnership with Leeds Community Healthcare and Leeds Older People’s Forum, offering support for people who have been recently discharged from hospital. Helping people to use the NHS app for prescriptions, self-management, and increasing social connections by being online is embedded into the project to reduce social isolation and support people’s recovery on return home from hospital.
Working in partnership with local sheltered housing schemes
In early 2024, OAOP’s Digital Inclusion Worker realised that many of their members who lived in local housing schemes couldn’t visit the centre for digital support because of mobility and travel barriers. The Digital Inclusion Worker delivered some digital inclusion sessions at sheltered housing schemes to better understand the need. They ran sessions at Wharfedale Court, Gordon Larkin Court and Adlington House, asking what support people felt they most needed to build their digital confidence. There was a general interest in topics such as online shopping, using the NHS app, and accessing eConsult.
In 2024, OAOP successfully applied for a grant from the Leeds Digital Inclusion Fund to increase their capacity to deliver regular digital inclusion sessions in the local housing complexes for older people. They also received a grant from the UK Shared Prosperity Fund for equipment to use with the project, including iPads, tablets and accessories. They have received data SIMs from Vodafone Charities Connected to gift to those with no data on their devices. This has enabled OAOP to use the SIMs in the devices they use at the schemes to provide connectivity, as many of the sites have very low or no connectivity.
The Leeds Digital Inclusion Fund grant enabled OAOP to establish and run drop-in digital support sessions in the community rooms at social housing complexes in Otley and Pool-in-Wharfedale. The low and no connectivity in Wharfedale Court and Bennet Court began to pose challenges in delivering the sessions and residents were unable to connect to any wifi on their own devices. OAOP worked with 100% Digital Leeds to partner with Jangala, who provided portable Get Boxes for the schemes to increase connectivity and residents were able to join the wifi. This enhanced the sessions, and OAOP have seen a rise in attendees, now supporting over 120 people with digital support across three housing schemes.
One-hour digital drop-in sessions delivered by OAOP’s Digital Inclusion Worker are held at each scheme on a fortnightly basis and promoted within the housing complexes. Residents are encouraged to attend for help with any aspect of using digital devices, as well as support with tech-related issues or questions. They enjoy learning about the Trainline app, My Phonak – hearing aid app, Ordnance Survey maps app, and Waze app for live traffic updates, as well as learning basic digital skills such as email and navigating websites. The Digital Inclusion Worker shares ‘How to…’ guides and resources from 100% Digital Leeds’s digital inclusion resource drive to help people continue their learning outside of the sessions.
“The group sessions open many conversations around digital matters, with attendees sharing their experiences and opinions on topics such as AI, online safety and the upcoming landline digital switchover. We take a person-centred approach and adapt the support to their needs, and we’ve developed resources to support the sessions. The regular sessions mean that attendees grow more confident in asking questions and exchanging skills with one another. Word-of-mouth across the schemes has encouraged more residents to get involved too.”
Digital Inclusion Worker, OAOP
Because of the nature of the drop-in sessions, sometimes there isn’t enough time to support everyone’s individual digital queries, so follow-up visits are scheduled. In addition, home visits continue to be offered for residents who are housebound or less mobile.
Case Study
Mr SL was introduced to OAOP’s Digital Inclusion Worker via a Support Worker at one of the social housing locations. He needed help with a non-portable digital device so a home visit was arranged. He was initially very frustrated with technology and reluctant to engage. However, following at-home support from the Digital Inclusion Worker his confidence improved. He then started to attend the internet café at OAOP to receive support in using his mobile phone and was helped to access his medical records on the NHS app. One initial one to one digital session at home led him to attend the sessions and increase social connections as well as developing his digital skills and confidence.
Based on the demand and impact of the project, OAOP continue to deliver regular digital inclusion support at Wharfedale Court alongside their knit and natter sessions, and at Bennet Court alongside their coffee mornings.
“We’ve found that service users are more likely to attend an informal, flexible session rather than a rigid fixed curriculum course. Everyone’s skills and confidence levels are different, so this is less intimidating and encourages peer support.”
Digital Inclusion Worker, OAOP.
Both schemes have benefitted from the Jangala Get Boxes providing wifi. This has meant residents have been able to call relatives across the world, use the NHS app, and having wifi in the communal spaces has given residents the opportunity to get together and teach each other digital skills such as how to use WhatsApp.
“There are untapped opportunities for self-sufficient digital inclusion communities to be fostered within housing complexes. If residents can be supported to begin their digital inclusion journey in the proximity of neighbours and use shared spaces to meet and learn together, it creates positive digital peer-support experiences going forwards.”
Digital Inclusion Worker, OAOP.
Embedding digital inclusion in existing activities
OAOP has seen that their digital inclusion outreach has resulted in greater service user engagement within other areas of the organisation. The organisation now has approximately 1,500 members, a significant increase from around 900 members in 2023. Staff attribute this growth to several factors, including increased visibility, relocation to a more central location, and the expansion of digital inclusion support.
The Digital Inclusion Worker has evaluated the digital inclusion sessions and identified that the drop-in sessions are most successful when run alongside existing social activities, such as coffee mornings, where residents are already gathered. This setting naturally encourages general conversations about digital topics while also allowing for individual support with specific digital issues. A key learning from this is that embedding digital inclusion support within familiar social events can significantly increase engagement and create a more relaxed environment for residents to participate.
Many attendees have reported feeling more confident about using their devices and feeling safer when going online. The informal setting also enables peer support, with residents sharing tips and experiences, which has reinforced learning. Importantly, by embedding digital support within existing social activities, the Digital Inclusion Worker has reached people who might not otherwise have sought digital help. This approach has not only reduced barriers to participation but also normalised conversations about technology, making it a part of everyday community life. Residents have gained confidence and are now better equipped to access online services, stay connected with family and friends, and make use of digital resources that can support independence and wellbeing.
This has provided OAOP with insights into effective models for delivering digital inclusion that they have built upon across their service offer. OAOP are now looking at ways to embed digital inclusion into the other activities they run at their centre, as well as continuing to run their drop-in Internet Café sessions.
Expanding OAOP’s digital skills offer
Alongside the regular digital drop-in sessions at their centre and the local housing schemes, OAOP have also been running a tailored Digital Inclusion Workshop for people who need to build their digital confidence. The Digital Inclusion Worker has found common themes where members needed similar support, so they have designed a series of sessions to support these needs.
Topics have included:
- Smartphone basics.
- Understanding digital terminology.
- Connecting to wifi.
- Downloading and using apps.
- Using email.
- Searching for information online.
- Scam awareness and online safety.
Planned future topics include:
- Online shopping.
- Using comparison websites.
- Digital photography and photo management.
“A key aim is to teach people how to do these tasks and use digital independently, rather than simply completing tasks for them. This grows their confidence and supports longer term learning.”
Digital Inclusion Worker, OAOP
To help with the growing need for digital support across their offer OAOP have now developed a team of digital volunteers, many of whom are aged 70+, demonstrating active participation from older residents themselves. OAOP now have a dedicated group of ten digital volunteers who support the Digital Inclusion Worker in delivering the digital sessions, with three or four volunteers supporting members at each session. They have also had nursing students from Bradford University volunteer as part of their course.
Next Steps
Reflecting on the development of their digital inclusion offer over the past six years, OAOP have noted the key strengths of their approach to delivering digital inclusion:
- Trialling digital inclusion sessions and delivering drop-ins to understand need.
- Being flexible and adapting to need when delivering digital inclusion support.
- Building on established community relationships, working in partnership with local housing schemes.
- Seeking funding opportunities to build capacity to deliver digital inclusion, including recruiting a Digital Inclusion Worker.
- Having a consistent named Digital Inclusion Worker within the team, helping to build relationships, confidence and trust with people.
- Having a blended approach to delivery with a combination of drop-in support, outreach, workshops, and home visits.
- Having a strong focus on meeting people where they are, building support into regular activities in an informal way, rather than delivering formal digital courses.
- Working in partnership with 100% Digital Leeds to access further support, resources and partnerships such as Jangala.
Their priority areas for developing their digital inclusion offer going forwards include:
- Expanding workshop programmes, trialling new themes and ideas based on member needs.
- Developing themed learning around practical interests.
- Maintaining outreach support in local housing schemes.
- Securing future funding, as the current digital inclusion role is only funded until March 2027.