Partner profile: Your Back Yard

Your Back Yard are a social enterprise organisation based in West Leeds that focus on supporting communities across the city to be able to live healthier, more active, and happier lives. They provide a range of sports and wellbeing activities aimed at older adults, including walking football, walking netball, and tai chi.

Through the pandemic they found many of their members couldn’t access the sessions and activities they offered and faced barriers to digital inclusion when they started hosting virtual sessions. They decided to build and develop a core digital inclusion offer within their service to enable older people to develop their digital skills and confidence and to support them to access the exercise and social sessions available online.

Partnerships

Your Back Yard partnered with 100% Digital Leeds in 2021, and looked at ways they could provide digital support in an inclusive and person-centred way for their members. They had limited capacity to deliver support sessions but had identified a real need and demand across their service users. Many didn’t have devices and had never been online before.

Your Backyard decided to partner with Leeds City College and Leeds University to build their capacity to deliver digital inclusion support within the West Leeds area. They recruited student volunteers to join the programme and they buddied up with older adults and provided one-to-one and group support. This enabled them to download and use Zoom, download apps that linked to their interests, and build their confidence in using their devices.
The students received digital inclusion awareness training delivered by 100% Digital Leeds, and took a holistic approach in tailoring sessions to ensure they met the needs of members.

This intergenerational approach worked really well, and they still continue to deliver sessions in this way working with the University and College students. The range of themed sessions they have delivered was based on what the members were interested in such as using bus apps, ordering prescriptions online, downloading BBC iPlayer and being able to email and video call family and friends.

Expanding their digital inclusion offer

Throughout the past year Your Back Yard have developed this partnership with the College and University and expanded their reach further across the city, working with other organisations who support older people to support them with their capacity and delivery.

“Joining the Older People’s Digital Inclusion Network has enabled us to develop several partnerships, and helped us identify ways we could work with other organisations to support their capacity gaps to deliver digital inclusion. We worked with 100% Digital Leeds to identify and apply for funding to look at expanding our offer across Leeds”

Your Back Yard applied and successfully received several funding bids, including a Digital Inclusion Fund Grant, Stay Well in Winter grant, Places for People, HAP bids and more. With this funding they have partnered with Burmantoffs Senior Action, Richmond Hill Elderly Action, Bramley Elderly Action, OWLS, Cross Gates and District Good Neighbours, Holt Park Active, MHA Communities South Leeds, and retirement homes to deliver digital skills support.

They wanted to really embed their digital inclusion offer into their existing offer of social, sport and exercise sessions, enabling more older people to have the opportunity to join virtually and be more digitally confident, but also find out about which face to face sessions they could join to support their health and wellbeing.

“In addition to offering digital support to residents we were also able to share with them information about the other activities we run such as our walking football. Marge, one of our now digital champions, has become a member of our walking football team who meet every Friday morning! We were also able to support people to access our Get Active and Online fitness classes which we offer live on Zoom. We are so happy we can merge our goals of both supporting digital inclusion and encouraging activity and fitness for older adults in our work!”

Your Back Yard have enabled older people who have been supported themselves with digital to go on to become ‘digital champions’ – helping others use WhatsApp and encouraging peer support. This has helped reduce fears people felt about going online and really empowered members to share their skills and experiences. In identifying that a significant number of people they were engaging with didn’t have devices or equipment they also utilised funding to purchase equipment to enable members to loan devices to support their learning journey.

“We wanted to deliver a wrap-around support offer where we could loan someone a tablet with 4G data and then be able to work with the students to deliver digital support with people to build their confidence and skills in using the devices. We have joined the National Databank to be able to gift data to people and accessed free 4G enabled sim cards via Vodafone Charities Connected to also support those without wifi at home”

Learning

Here’s a few important points Your Back Yard have learned over the past year, when delivering a digitally inclusive service for older adults:

  • Older adults have benefitted most from regular and consistent digital support (ideally weekly).
  • Digital inclusion needs city wide support, and working collaboratively in the network and with wider partners is vital, as well as having available funding for projects.
  • For older people to get the most out of being online we have found having an up-to-date smartphone has been beneficial for increasing social connections and being introduced to apps. This has been a huge barrier for people with low incomes. A huge thanks to 100% Digital Leeds and Hubbub UK we received iPhones which we have been able to gift to older people we work with, who have now managed to set up a WhatsApp group, keep in touch, provide peer-support, and develop their skills and confidence as well as now being able to have so many more opportunities.
  • It’s quicker and easy to do things for people but this doesn’t help older people in the long run or increase their confidence. It’s key to have patience and support people to be empowered to have a go themselves and be able to independently engage with digital.
  • Writing things down so older people can practice their digital skills at home is 100% worth it. It’s great to see how they have developed their skills in their own time and how empowered they feel after this.
  • Student volunteers have been vital. The intergenerational work we have done has had so many positive benefits and young people have shared their digital knowledge and developed great relationships with the older people they have supported.
  • The benefits of supporting older people to go online are huge, and very rewarding. When you hear they facetimed their grandchildren, logged on to our exercise classes, sent an email, joined a group chat, watched a video on YouTube or booked a doctor’s appointment for the first time in two years it makes all your efforts worth it. It’s brilliant!

Next steps

Your Back Yard now deliver five digital cafes across the city and are seeking further funding opportunities, working in partnership with 100% Digital Leeds and the Older People’s Digital Inclusion network to support organisations that need additional capacity and resource in delivering digital inclusion. Their current offer has digital skills support sessions in a variety of locations both one-to-one and group based, device lending schemes, and data gifting.

Their success in delivering digital sessions with Daisyfield Grange Retirement Home has now led them to look at further digital support they could offer across residential and care homes to support older people in developing their digital skills and confidence.

“We still have a long way to go to help sustainably reduce the digital divide in Leeds, but we will be tackling that challenge head on with the support of 100% Digital Leeds, the Older People’s Digital Inclusion Network and in developing our city-wide offer for older people. In the future months we are hoping to secure further funding for a digital inclusion worker who can lead and coordinate our digital inclusion projects and continue to support older people to become digital champions who can share their skills and knowledge with other older people”

Partner profile: Leeds Libraries

Library service users accessing online library resources with iPads

Leeds has 34 public libraries across the city and as a universal provider offers services to a wide and diverse range of communities. Libraries are safe spaces within communities with trusted staff on hand, which provides plenty of opportunities to make positive interventions when it comes to digital inclusion.

Frontline staff as Digital Champions

100% Digital Leeds provided Digital Champion Train the Trainer sessions to librarians who then cascaded the training to frontline staff throughout the library service, resulting in over 300 Digital Champions to date with more trained as part of new starters’ inductions.

With the knowledge gained as Digital Champions, frontline staff are much more aware of how to identify barriers that are stopping people from getting online and now have tips on how to help customers overcome these issues. As staff speak with library users every day they can hold positive conversations around digital, helping to motivate people to give it a go. The awareness gained as Digital Champions within a wider network of digital support available around the city means customers are more likely to be signposted to the most suitable service for their needs

Digital skills training

Leeds Libraries has delivered digital skills sessions for many years, and has free wifi and PCs available across the city to provide access for those at risk of digital exclusion. The Library’s digital team identified a need for basic skills sessions for those with no skills whatsoever, and has developed a successful First Steps with Digital course delivered by Digital Champion Librarians who provide the motivation to overcome the skills barrier.

Devices and data

The tablet lending scheme developed by 100% Digital Leeds will now be managed by Leeds Libraries, who will make tablets with data available to individuals as well as organisations which will build on the existing offer and extend its reach into communities. By supporting organisations and encouraging their users into libraries it will also provide more opportunities for positive interventions for other digital inclusion needs, like the skills sessions mentioned earlier. The tablet lending scheme will be relaunched in the new year.

Leeds Libraries has partnered with the Good Things Foundation to become a gifting partner for the National Databank scheme. So far libraries have gifted 175 SIM cards which amounts to savings of over £12,500, and is helping people who are digitally excluded to get online.

Digital health care

The last few years has emphasised the importance digital can have when it comes to health care. 100% Digital Leeds has supported Leeds Libraries as they develop their digital health hub offer in tandem with community organisations in Local Care Partnerships around the city. The place-based approach taken by 100% Digital Leeds coupled with the number of libraries around the city increases the opportunities to support customers.

A library staff member on secondment worked closely with 100% Digital Leeds on a project to help people using NHS rehabilitation services to access support during the Covid pandemic. The expertise and access to 100% Digital’s network of primary and secondary healthcare organisations helped steer the project and improve its outcomes. Following the secondment the staff member continues to work with 100% Digitals’ Health Hub network to develop the library offer.

Arts In Care Homes Day

Leeds Libraries supported 100% Digital Leeds’ Arts in Care Homes day by developing several health and wellbeing sessions that took a softer approach to digital; the sessions were primarily based around creative arts and music, and towards the end of each session a digital element was introduced, such as showing how to create a YouTube music playlist or using a collaging app. This fun and light-touch approach hopes to ease people into the session who might be put off by the thought of digital.

“This year we took part in arts in care homes day with a digital inclusion workshop called reminiscing records. The session was designed to have a soft approach and to invite participants to have fun when going online in an inclusive and safe environment. The session had a large music theme, involving a classic music quiz and even live music – a chance to remember and reminisce our favourites! Towards the end of the session, once participants had had the opportunity to settle in, I introduced listening to music on YouTube and making a playlist! As we had begun the session in a format most people will recognise – a quiz, when going online to look at YouTube, it can feel less threatening. Overall, everyone seemed to really enjoy it and we got quite a few dance moves over Zoom.”

Agnes Leonowicz, Librarian, Leeds Libraries

Leeds Libraries also had a variety of online resources for the public, such as Learn In The Library, Libraries Online Learning, and Leeds Libraries Leeds Inspired.

Partner profile: Meanwood Valley Urban Farm

Meanwood Valley Urban Farm

Meanwood Valley Urban Farm is a 26 acre working farm, with a wide variety of animals. It is also a registered charity, and a major centre for community and environmental work. Established in 1980, their goal was to reconnect urban people with their food.  The farm works in partnership with Leeds City Council in providing a community care scheme, where adults with learning disabilities receive training in gardening, literacy and numeracy.

Funding

During the summer of 2022 the 100% Digital team supported staff at Meanwood Valley Urban Farm to apply for the Leeds Digital Inclusion Fund.  In August, the farm were successful in securing £10,000 to help them to build digital elements into their HOOF (Help Out on the Farm) group.  The HOOF group is a group of people with learning disabilities who learn new skills, work with animals and improve their health and wellbeing in a variety of settings at the farm. 

The Autism and Learning Disability Digital Inclusion Coordinator has been working closely with staff at the farm to discuss how the money can be spent to benefit as many people as possible.  Some of this money has now been spent on cameras which will be set up in the animal enclosures, allowing people to enjoy watching their favourite animals live.  The 100% Digital team has supported staff at the farm to build links with care homes who support residents with learning disabilities, many of whom are too vulnerable to visit the farm in person.  There are already plans in place for the footage to be streamed in the weekly Aspire Zoom sessions that take place in Aspire care homes and day centres citywide.  This pioneering work is being promoted nationally in the City Farms Network meetings.

The 100% Digital team alerted us to the Leeds Digital Inclusion Fund through which we have achieved £10,000 of funding to use with our HOOF group.  This will enable us to buy equipment which will both benefit the lives of our members and also allow us to share the amazing experience of being on the farm with a much wider audience.  By linking us with Networks such as the Autism and Learning Disability Digital Inclusion Network, the team have also allowed us to promote our work to a wider audience and enabled us build links with other groups  access opportunities for people with learning disabilities in the Leeds area.

Adam Ogilvie, CEO, Meanwood Valley Urban Farm

Equipment and digital skills support

A proportion of the Digital Inclusion Fund has also been spent on iPads, which will allow members of the HOOF group to develop their digital skills in an enjoyable way while they are working at the farm. The Autism and Learning Disability Coordinator is also delivering bespoke workshops in the New Year to ensure that staff on the farm have the digital skills and confidence that they need to support their members.

ALaDDIN

Meanwood Valley Urban Farm have now joined the Autism and Learning Disability Digital Inclusion Network.  The network is made up of over forty organisations citywide who work to support Autistic People and People with Learning disabilities.  The organisations meet monthly to share training and opportunities related to digital inclusion, to promote their work and to share good practice. 

If you are interested in joining the Network or finding out more then please contact Nicky@pyramid.org.uk

Next steps

Meanwood Urban Valley Farm are working in partnership with 100% Digital Leeds and the Central North Local Care Partnership as part of the community-based approach to Digital Inclusion.  The Farm is looking at ways they can develop and expand their current digital inclusion offer and become a Digital Health Hub, upskilling volunteers to support people with digital as well as looking at health and wellbeing walks to and from the farm.

Partner profile: CHANFOB

Change For The Better (CHANFOB) are a non-profit organisation committed to connecting, supporting and empowering individuals and families living in Leeds, especially those from minority and disadvantaged backgrounds. The majority of their clients are from Black African communities across the city, but they are open to working with anyone who could benefit from their assistance.

CHANFOB and 100% Digital Leeds have been working together this year to grow their digital inclusion offer as they have a shared objective of trying to ensure that Leeds residents have equal opportunity to use digital tools, technology and services in the right way for them.

Funding

100% Digital Leeds helped CHANFOB to apply for funding through Mears Foundation and they were successful in receiving an £800 grant to launch their project CHANFONLINE: Digital Inclusion at Hunslet Community Hub, offering a programme of eight weekly, free, easy-to-follow basic digital skills sessions for digitally excluded adults.

CHANFOB used the grant to purchase three tablets which allowed service users to borrow a device, free of charge, to practise between sessions. Learners received ongoing support and guidance so that they could get the most out of their internet experience and remain safe online. The tablets also allowed CHANFOB volunteers to provide support in people’s homes where disabilities or other factors prevent them from being able to attend the weekly sessions.

Impact

The programme helped 24 learners to gain and improve their digital skills and provided CHANFOB with the experience and equipment to expand their digital inclusion offer and ensure it is sustainable and embedded throughout their activities.

“A lot of people we work with are lacking the skills and confidence to enjoy the benefits of computers and the internet. They think the internet is not safe for them and are scared of cyber-crime. Many of them don’t have a device or internet. Through these sessions we’ve been able to give people belief that they can engage with the digital world.”

“CHANFOB is committed to continuing to implement concrete programmes that will help individuals in Leeds, especially adults and older people, to gain and improve their digital skills and become less isolated, more confident, and more independent.”

“We would like to thank Mears Foundation, without their financial support this project would not have been a success. We would also like to thank 100% Digital Leeds and Hunslet Community Hub and Library, for their incredible ongoing support.”

Mingson Mingina, Chair and Digital Champion, CHANFOB.

Next Steps

  • 100% Digital Leeds will help CHANFOB to seek further funding to continue offering provision and expand their services.
  • CHANFOB have joined the Online Centres Network and will apply to the National Databank, enabling them to provide SIM cards with free data, calls and texts to learners.
  • Following the conclusion of the initial 8-week programme, sessions are now every third Saturday of the month at Hunslet Community Hub.
  • CHANFOB would like more volunteers to help run CHANFONLINE, if you are interested or could help please email contact@chanfob.org

Partner profile: Canal Connections

A service user is sat at a desk and using an iPad as a drawing tablet.
A service user at Canal Connections

Canal Connections is a Community Interest Company (CIC) that is passionate about sharing Leeds’ beautiful canals with local people. The team has been working closely with 100% Digital Leeds to embed digital elements into the organisation’s offer.

ALaDDIN

Canal Connections is a member of the Autism and Learning Disability Digital Inclusion Network (ALaDDIN), made up of over forty organisations working to support autistic people and people with learning disabilities living across the city. The organisations meet monthly to share training and opportunities related to digital inclusion, to promote their work and to share good practice. Through this network that Canal Connections was able to identify and secure NHS funding to support health, wellbeing, and safe relationships for learning disabled and neurodiverse communities. The funding was used to support the formation of a new social group for adults with learning disabilities called ‘The Happy Wednesdays Group.’

The Happy Wednesdays Group

The Happy Wednesdays Group is an opportunity for adults with learning disabilities and their parents and carers to come together once a week. The members go out on a canal boat where they admire the beautiful scenery and spot wildlife including kingfishers, swans and hawks.  They also have the opportunity to drive the boat and learn vital skills for navigating the canals.  When they are not on the boats the group have the opportunity to partake in a craft activities such as rag rugging.

“People relax when they are on a boat in a way that is so difficult on dry land. The group love talking and admiring their surroundings, and they have formed healthy relationships with one another and with our staff. We hope that they will be able to build on their new skills and volunteer with future groups who meet on the boats. It’s so fantastic to see their confidence grow.”

Peter Forrest, Project Manager at Canal Connections.

Canal Connections bring digital elements into this programming in a way that is accessible and relevant, allowing members to develop their digital skills and confidence at their own pace by doing things meaningful to them. The group takes iPads with them on their boat trips and take photos and videos of their trips.  The have also been using the tablets to create digital artwork, to download apps around health and wellbeing and to learn other transferable digital skills.  Canal Connections has also joined the National Databank and are actively gifting SIM cards to members struggling to afford data. 

Arts in Care Homes Day programming

Canal Connections were part of the Arts in Care Homes Day digital arts programme, which was a collaboration between the 100% Digital Team and the Arts and Culture Digital Inclusion Network. Canal Connections used this as an opportunity to live stream a canal boat ride into Care Home settings citywide, allowing vulnerable residents to enjoy the experience of a boat ride without risking their health and safety. 

Partner profile: LEEDS 2023

LEEDS 2023 is run by the Leeds Culture Trust, an independent charity set up in 2019 by Leeds City Council as part of its Culture Strategy and as a response to the cancellation of the UK’s participation in the European Capital of Culture competition. LEEDS 2023’s ambition is to deliver a transformational year of creative experiences connecting and benefiting people now and into the future.

100% Digital Leeds has partnered with LEEDS 2023 to explore how creative digital skills and software can be made more accessible to Leeds communities, an idea born via the Arts and Culture Digital Inclusion Network.  Throughout 2022, 100% Digital Leeds and LEEDS 2023 worked together to run a series of workshops aimed at breaking down the perceptions that digital software is difficult to use, expensive and inaccessible to anyone outside of creative industries. The workshops were free, assumed no prior digital skills or knowledge, utilised free digital tools, and were led by experts from across Leeds’s creative industries. The various software packages highlighted in the workshops are free, powerful and support the creation of high-quality content.

“At LEEDS 2023 we are building up to our year of culture, letting culture loose across the city. These workshops are one of the ways we are supporting artists, creatives and organisations. Our aim is to give workshop participants the basic skills they need to begin experimenting and exploring their creative skills. It has been great to partner with 100% Digital Leeds on this programme to ensure that it reaches people across the city. We want to make sure that these workshops are open to everyone and the overwhelming feedback is that we should run more.”

Adam Sas-Skowronski, Creative Technologist, LEEDS 2023

The success of this initial series has led to the workshops being extended into 2023, when four of the workshops trialled will be delivered in various venues across the city. The workshops will include image editing, audio editing, video editing and live streaming, and each will be repeated in community venues across the city. More information coming in January!

Who attended the workshops

100% Digital Leeds worked with LEEDS 2023 to deliver a series of seven workshops across 2022, covering a range of content including video game design, social media strategy, and interactive storytelling, with the most popular sessions being image editing, audio editing, and video editing.

Tweet from a workshop attendee

Across the seven workshops 130 people booked spaces and the workshops saw a 70% attendance rate on the day. The in-person events in the city centre attracted people from across Leeds.

Attendance has been cross-sector with around half to two thirds of attendees representing community or third sector, around a third of attendees came from the creative industries, and a small percentage attended from the public and education sectors or people attending out of personal interest.

How the workshops made an impact

Reasons for attending the workshops included developing skills to be later shared with communities, creating engaging community learning resources, recording community history and creating digital archives, content creation, and capturing and sharing organisational impact.

Tweet from a workshop attendee

Comments from attendees demonstrate that the workshops have been successful in breaking down perceptions and supporting access:

“I have broken the fear of trying a new software so thank you. I am left with plenty of materials to practice on at home and cannot wait for the next workshop.”

“I liked how accessible it felt, I am completely new to using Audacity and sound and this felt really user friendly.”

“I was nervous that the session would be full of people that work in creative technology but such an interesting mix of people, professions, ages, and reasons for attending.”

Feedback from workshop attendees

On a scale of 1 to 5, 98% of responders said the workshops rated as a 4 or 5 in terms of being both engaging and user friendly. Attendees also rated as a 4 or 5 the likelihood of them recommending the workshop series to a friend or attending another workshop themselves.

Aishwarya Vijayakumar has used her new digital skills to create the branding and social media promotion for her small business, Totes and More.

“I attended almost all the Leeds 2023 workshops in this series, and I’ve been able to put most of these into practice. The image editing workshop in particular has helped me build the social media for my business. I’ve always wanted an aesthetic feed and all the previous softwares I’ve used provide similar looking graphics. The GoDaddy Studio workshop really helped me step up my business socials and I’ve been told by everyone I meet that they find my social media posts and graphics very well presented.”

Aishwarya Vijayakumar, Totes and More

Download our model for a community-based approach to digital inclusion

Last week saw the launch of the new 100% Digital Leeds  model for a community-based approach to digital inclusion. The model sets out the stages and steps that can be followed by council officers  who wish to adapt and apply the approach in their locality to develop and implement their own digital inclusion interventions. The webinar was viewed by over 100 people from across the UK, many of whom lead digital inclusion for their local authority.

The model for a community-based  approach to digital inclusion is now available to download on the Digital Inclusion Toolkit.

Launch webinar recording.

A community-based approach to digital inclusion

The 100% Digital Leeds community-based approach to digital inclusion brings together key partners to design digital inclusion interventions based on the needs of a particular community. A community could be a geographic area, such as a ward or a town, or a community of interest, such as unpaid carers, older people, or people with learning disabilities. The approach uses and builds upon existing strengths and assets to create an intervention that is bespoke, sustainable, and able to scale and flex in response to changing needs. The resulting interventions are embedded within the existing support mechanisms around that community, strengthening the place to empower the person.

For the first time, this model sets out the 100% Digital Leeds community-based approach to digital inclusion as a series of stages and steps so that all councils can adopt, adapt, and apply the principles in their area.

“This is a clear and practical model which we have been able to adapt from a city to an extensive rural setting successfully. Whilst this model covers every aspect of implementing and enabling the community-based approach, you can also use it as a ‘pick and mix’ to just use the elements you need – it’s very flexible.”

Debbie Fagan, Digital Inclusion (Health) Officer for East Riding of Yorkshire Council

Sharing learning and expertise

100% Digital Leeds is one of the most successful digital inclusion programmes in the country. The programme was initiated by a Leeds City Council Scrutiny Board inquiry in 2015 and the council continues to invest in a permanent team, part of the Integrated Digital Service (IDS) at Leeds City Council and Leeds Health and Care Partnership NHS West Yorkshire Integrated Care Board. The team works with over 200 organisations, teams, settings, and services, and has brought over £2million into the city, increasing the capacity of third sector organisations and building the digital inclusion ecosystem across Leeds.

“We must work together across all organisations and sectors to ensure digital is about more than just deploying new technology. We must ensure that everyone is included, engaged, motivated, skilled, confident, equipped and involved in our collective digital journey. I’m immensely proud of the outcomes that the 100% Digital Leeds team is generating for our city.”

Leonardo Tantari, chief digital and information officer for Leeds City Council and the NHS (Leeds) West Yorkshire Integrated Care Board

A Local Government Association Digital Pathfinder Project

The 100% Digital Leeds team was funded to write and publish the model as part of the Local Government Association (LGA) Digital Pathfinders Programme, designed to support councils seeking to innovate and develop pioneering initiatives to advance digital inclusion, digital connectivity, and cyber security.

“In recent years this model has developed into an example of best practice in the sector, strengthening the outcome of digital inclusion initiatives for residents, partners and communities in Leeds and beyond. Hence, why we funded Leeds City Council to utilise their expertise to scale a model to other councils that enables them to replicate and build a community of support that is integral for residents to benefit from being online.”

Tom Denman, Productivity Adviser – Digital Innovation, Security and Behavioural Insights, Local Government Association

The model for a community-based  approach to digital inclusion is now available to download on the Digital Inclusion Toolkit.

Launching the 100% Digital Leeds model for a community-based approach to digital inclusion

100% Digital Leeds is preparing to publish our model for a community-based approach to digital inclusion, so that other councils can adopt the principles to develop and implement their own inclusion interventions. The model sets out the stages and steps that can be followed by council officers leading digital inclusion who wish to adapt and apply the approach in their locality.

The 100% Digital Leeds team, part of the Integrated Digital Service (IDS) at Leeds City Council and Leeds Health and Care Partnership NHS West Yorkshire Integrated Care Board, was funded to write and publish the model as part of the Local Government Association (LGA) Digital Pathfinders Programme, designed to support councils seeking to innovate and develop pioneering initiatives to advance digital inclusion, digital connectivity, and cyber security. The model is the result of a 12-month project and will be published in early December.

“No single organisation can solve the issue of digital exclusion. The 100% Digital Leeds Community-based Approach is the ideal framework to demonstrate the great progress that can be achieved when we work together.”

Melanie Rawles, Libraries Development Manager for Plymouth City Council and Coordinator of Plymouth Digital Inclusion Network

The launch webinar

The model will be launched on Thursday 8th December with a 30-minute lunchtime webinar which will be an opportunity for local authorities to hear more about the approach, how they might benefit from adopting the approach, and where they can access the model when published. The webinar will be held on Zoom and free tickets are bookable at Eventbrite.

The webinar is hosted by 100% Digital Leeds in partnership with the LGA. Attendees will also hear from three local authorities about their impressions of the usability of the approach, elements of the approach they have already managed to adopt, and the positive impact they have already seen as a result. As part of the development process 100% Digital Leeds ran a series of workshops with five local authorities with different geographies and demographics, and different staffing and resource capacities, ensuring the approach is adaptable to the needs of different local authorities and the content transferable.

“By harnessing the expertise of the 100% Digital Leeds programme to create this model, the LGA and Leeds City Council want to demonstrate the importance of building knowledge and understanding across the local government digital inclusion landscape in order to support better outcomes for residents and communities.”

Tom Denman, Local Government Association

The community-based approach to digital inclusion

The 100% Digital Leeds community-based approach brings together key partners to design digital inclusion interventions based on the needs of a particular community. A community could be a geographic area, such as a ward or a town, or a community of interest, such as unpaid carers, older people, or people with learning disabilities. The approach uses and builds upon existing strengths and assets to create an intervention that is bespoke, sustainable, and able to scale and flex in response to changing needs. The resulting interventions are embedded within the existing support mechanisms around that community, strengthening the place to empower the person.

“This is a clear and practical model which we have been able to adapt from a city to an extensive rural setting successfully. Whilst this model covers every aspect of implementing and enabling the community-based approach, you can also use it as a ‘pick and mix’ to just use the elements you need – it’s very flexible. As a lone Digital Inclusion Officer covering a large area, this model has become my constant ‘go-to’, and whilst we don’t have a team, it always gives me practical deliverable support.”

Debbie Fagan, Digital Inclusion (Health) Officer for East Riding of Yorkshire Council

Digital inclusion at Leeds City Council

Initiated by a Leeds City Council Scrutiny Board inquiry in 2015, the council continues to invest in a permanent team to lead the digital inclusion programme and drive the digital inclusion agenda across the city. The 100% Digital Leeds team works with over 200 organisations, teams, settings, and services. To date the team has brought over £2million of external funding into the city, an amount that has gone directly to third sector organisations, supporting capacity and building the digital inclusion ecosystem across Leeds. As well as speaking at dozens of national conferences, roundtables, and forums, the 100% Digital Leeds team has shared aspects of the approach with almost 100 councils on an individual basis.

“It is often said that no one should be left behind as we advance technically and technologically, but this does not happen by magic. It requires sustained investment to ensure there is consistent leadership and focus on digital inclusion as a city priority. I’m immensely proud of the outcomes that the 100% Digital team is generating for our city. Their work is imperative and fundamental to meet the ambitions of Leeds.”  

Leonardo Tantari, Chief Digital and Information Officer, Leeds City Council and NHS (Leeds) West Yorkshire ICB

Partner Profile: Holbeck Together

The Holbeck Together staff team

Holbeck Together have worked in partnership with the 100% Digital Leeds team for over 2 years, developing their digital inclusion offer to better support their communities in South Leeds. 

As an organisation they are well placed within Holbeck to support the needs of their service users. They take a person-centred approach in providing a variety of services, activities, and opportunities for people to get involved in locally. Many activities are specifically for older people, with others for younger people and some for all ages.

Developing their digital inclusion offer

Holbeck Together became a Digital Health Hub in 2021, working with 100% Digital Leeds and the Beeston and Middleton Local Care Partnership to increase digital health participation for people within the community. They are 1 of 16 Digital Health Hubs within South Leeds.

As part of their journey to becoming a Digital Health Hub, Holbeck Together identified the barriers faced by the local community in accessing and using online information and tools. Through the support of 100% Digital Leeds, Holbeck Together have worked to tackle these barriers:

  • Knowledge to make best use of the devices they own
  • Confidence to access online services
  • Cost of getting online
  • Understanding digital language and terminology

Delivering digital support

With successful funding Holbeck Together have employed a digital inclusion worker, Sean Flannigan, to coordinate, develop and deliver their digital inclusion offer. Sean has developed their service offer to include 1-1 digital support sessions, group sessions and drop in’s to really support those with low digital skills and confidence. 

Through the partnership of 100% Digital Leeds and Hubbub UK, Holbeck Together received smartphones with free data which they gifted to their members. This has enabled many to have access to the internet and be able to call friends and family, which has had a huge impact on their lives. 

Within existing coffee mornings and group activities, members have supported each other in using the smartphones, sharing which apps they like and providing peer-support to build confidence and reduce fears around the technology. They also purchased a number of tablets to lend to members and use within social sessions to support people to develop their skills and see the range of things they could do online. 

Joining the Older People’s Digital Inclusion network has strengthened Holbeck Together’s partnerships with other organisations across the city, collaborating on the best approaches and sharing learning and resources. Developing session plans on searching for the best energy suppliers, applying for a bus pass online, ordering prescriptions, and looking how to shop and bank online safely. 

Impact

K. visited Holbeck Together in January with a phone that he had no idea how to use. Over the following weeks we started with the basics and moved onto messaging and emails. His confidence improved and he felt much better about using his device, less anxious and was keen to learn more. We supported him to install the NHS app so he could check and re-order prescriptions and use the e-consult function.

Recently K. was able to use his online knowledge to renew his passport, adding and uploading his digital photo to the online service. He is continuing to visit the Digital Health Hub on a weekly basis and is planning a trip to Europe soon, all of which is being done online.

Sean Flannigan, Digital Inclusion Officer, Holbeck Together

Over the last eight months, Holbeck Together have:

  • Delivered 222 hours of bespoke 1-2-1 digital support sessions, arranged by appointment to enable people to get the most from each session
  • Delivered 86 digital drop-in sessions for people who came into the community centre with a request for more immediate support
  • Made tablets available to everyone attending social sessions and activities, with support from staff available if required
  • Had positive conversations with 170 people to promote the use of digital tools and services
  • Engaged 89 people in conversations promoting digital health tools and services
  • Supported people to use NHS services online

Since I’ve been attending the digital health hub at Holbeck Together I’ve learned how to get online and use the internet. Without that help and guidance, I would have struggled to get to grips with modern technology. I attend weekly and I’m still finding it highly beneficial. The free SIM card they gave me through their data gifting scheme helps me stay in contact with everyone and stops me feeling isolated.

A service user from Holbeck Together

Next Steps

Holbeck Together are developing their vision for the future of their digital health hub. This includes:

  • Developing the skills and confidence of Digital Buddies in the appropriate use of digital technology to promote effective teaching and learning across all areas of the service and increasing their peer-support offer
  • Improving access to digital technology in the community centre by opening a permanent onsite space and putting users’ needs at the centre of its design
  • Continuing to work alongside partners through the Digital Inclusion Network and Beeston and Middleton Digital Health Hub Network to share best practice and improve ways to identify and ensure effective approaches to digital learning and access
  • Continuing to empower users to enhance their levels of digital literacy, enabling them to thrive in a digital society and reach their full potential in relation to learning, life and work

We have a fantastic partnership with 100% Digital Leeds, it’s great to see how much our digital inclusion offer has developed in the past 2 years. We are continuing to address the needs of our community and supporting them to overcome barriers to digital inclusion.

We have seen the difference it’s made to so many people’s lives, increasing their social connections, their independence and their access to services and improving their health and wellbeing. We are looking forward to seeing what the next 12 month holds, and really value the support of 100% Digital Leeds.

Sean Flannigan, Digital Inclusion Officer, Holbeck Together

Supporting health participation: update on wave one

100% Digital Leeds has partnered with Local Care Partnerships (LCP) in Leeds to develop a community-based approach to support digital inclusion for improved digital health participation, with place-based Digital Health Hub networks at the heart. The approach is being rolled out across the city in waves, supporting four LCPs at a time during a six-month period. Five development workshops will be delivered in each wave. Three development waves will run consecutively over an 18 month period leading up to the launch of a city-wide Digital Health Hub network in mid-to-late 2024.

Wave One, Workshop One

Wave one, working with HATCH, Woodsley and Holt Park, Central, and Morley LCPs, was launched in October 2022 with the support of over £200,000 in NHS Health Inequalities funding which will increase third sector capacity for supporting digital inclusion in the 10% most deprived communities within those LCP footprints. 

Workshop One took place on 26th October 2022 at St. Chad’s Parish Centre and brought together over 20 organisations to introduce them to the project and start thinking about the digital inclusion needs of the communities they work with and within. Organisations in attendance were from across sectors and support a range of different communities of interest. Attendance included Age UK, Leeds Libraries, Barca, Kirkstall Valley Development Trust, The Salvation Army, social prescribers, Localities teams, and Primary Care Network (PCN) representatives.

The workshop was broken into four key sections:

  1. Understanding digital inclusion
  2. Understanding digital health participation
  3. Understanding Digital Health Hubs
  4. Moving forward

Organisations were brought together in their LCPs to discuss these points, pooling their knowledge and experience to paint a picture of the needs of the communities in their place and start thinking about practical solutions. 

Understanding digital inclusion

“The idea of going online and what that means to someone, and the reasons they might not, is very personal. It can be very overwhelming and make people feel very small.”

Workshop participant

Partners discussed what digital exclusion looks like to them, and how this impacts on the communities they work with and within. Based on their experience of supporting people and communities, partners identified the biggest barriers to digital inclusion in their place. Common barriers identified include cost of equipment and connectivity, age, poor literacy skills, hearing and sight loss, and cultural and language-based. It was recognised that there is no ‘one size fits all’ solution and any interventions need to be person-centred.

“It’s not just about getting devices, it’s about getting the right devices and data to people so it suits their needs. You can’t do homework on a mobile phone.” 

Workshop participant

Understanding digital health participation

“It’s about people being able to have a variety of options on how to access health services, and have the same opportunities as everyone else, so they don’t have to be stuck on the phone for an hour, and understanding that you don’t always have to leave the house to see the doctor or get a prescription.”

Workshop participant

Partners discussed what good digital health participation would look like for their communities, thinking about self-management and prevention as well as access to health services. Examples included supporting use of the NHS app, condition-specific self-management apps like myCOPD, help with using the internet to access relevant information, online peer-support, YouTube and other tools to help people move more, and digital tools to support the social integration of those who might struggle to get out and about for whatever reason. 

“It’s about helping people combat the fear that not seeing a doctor face-to-face will mean they don’t receive the same level of care.”

Workshop participant

Understanding Digital Health Hubs

Digital Health Hubs are key community organisations with trusted spaces and staff/volunteers on hand who can help people overcome barriers to digital inclusio, so that they can access relevant information and tools to improve their health and wellbeing. Organisations discussed whether they would be a good fit for developing as a Digital Health Hub or would be better suited in a supporting role: identifying digitally excluded people, helping them to understand the benefits of engaging with digital, and signposting to the Digital Health Hub network for that support. Organisations discussed what digital inclusion support they already offer, including whether they offer access to free wifi, support with digital skills, or loan digital equipment.

Moving forward

Depending on their potential role in the community-based approach, partners were invited to attend one or more of the following four development workshops planned for Wave One taking place in the coming months. Whether they joined us in in the initial workshop or not, organisations supporting people and communities in the HATCH, Woodsley and Holt Park, Central, and Morley LCPs that might be interested in becoming a Digital Health Hub are welcome to join us for the next meeting:

Workshop two: Developing a Digital Health Hub 

Wednesday 16th November 2022, 09:30 – 11:30am, Teams

Book your free ticket via Eventbrite

This Teams workshop is targeted at any groups or services who are interested in being a Digital Health Hub. Don’t worry right now about whether you have the staff, the tech, or the wifi to make this happen. This is exactly what we will be looking to talk through in the workshop. 

We’ll be looking at what being a Hub involves, checking where you are at now and what support (and funding) you may need to make this happen. Some of you will already be well on your journey to being a Hub whereas others may be just at the start of the journey.

If you have a community that you think would benefit from you offering a Hub then please come along and be part of the conversation.