Holbeck Together is a charity based in Holbeck, providing services to the local community, supporting people to stay socially and physically active, empowering them to make more informed choices and live longer. Holbeck Together became a Neighbourhood Network in 1992 supporting predominantly older people in Holbeck. Over the past four years they have expanded their offer and now support people of all ages, offering a wide range of activities.
They provide lunch clubs, walking groups, bingo, friendship groups, digital skills sessions and support, parent and baby groups, as well as out-of-hours meal services. Their community transport service operates seven days a week for people who are unable to get out and about independently as well as providing twice weekly shopping trips. Most of their services take place at St Matthews Community Centre, with a community café, a charity shop, a food bank, and social supermarket.
100% Digital Leeds has worked in partnership with Holbeck Together for over five years supporting them to develop and expand their digital inclusion offer. This included securing funding to recruit a digital inclusion worker who has been in post for three years. The worker delivers Holbeck Together’s digital skills support service, which includes a range of group sessions, one-to-one sessions, and most recently digital skills support in the wider community of Holbeck.
Holbeck Together has delivered a range of digital inclusion projects including Transport Connections, Digital Health Hubs, and gifting devices through Community Calling. They have developed their offer to include a wide range of digital inclusion support for the community, including digital skills support, SIM card gifting, a device lending scheme, and devices to use on site. All of these services are shown on the 100% Digital Leeds Community Support Directory.
Holbeck Together have recently embedded digital support within more of the services they offer to reach more people who may have barriers to digital inclusion. They are developing ‘mini digital hubs’ at locations in and around the community of Holbeck to increase digital skills provision. They are also exploring ways to increase their capacity and offer a variety of new digital sessions to meet the needs of their members.
Providing a wide range of digital inclusion support
Holbeck Together takes a person-centred approach to delivering digital inclusion support. After a successful funding bid in 2022 they recruited a Digital Inclusion Worker, Sean, who leads and delivers their digital support offer. They have identified and secured several funding streams since then, including Leeds Digital Inclusion fund in 2023, to enable their Digital Inclusion Worker to develop and deliver their digital inclusion offer. Sean adapts his digital skills support to meet the needs of the community, as well as creating a ‘digital hub’ within the centre.
Holbeck Together offer digital skills drop-in sessions three days a week, they provide digital support within existing activities such as the lunch clubs and coffee mornings, and they offer ad-hoc one-to-one digital support within their digital hub at St Matthews Community Centre.
“We see members regularly visiting the digital hub with a need for support on lots of things like blue badges, managing utility bills, using social media to stay in touch with friends and family, game apps, and basic digital skills support using a smartphone or tablet and setting up an email address.
But it’s not just our regular members who ask for digital support. We regularly get requests for support from new people who have moved into the area, and other people from the community. I’ve helped lots of people to fill in eVisa forms online, write emails to debt collection companies, housing forms, and employment support such as CV writing.”
Sean, Digital Inclusion Worker, Holbeck Together
Holbeck Together provide free wifi and devices on site for people to use to develop their digital skills and confidence, and a tablet lending scheme which helps members to get to grips with using a device when they don’t have one of their own. Holbeck Together joined the National Databank and use the Vodafone Charities Connected scheme to gift data SIMs to their members. They have recently ordered more SIMs as they have seen a rise in demand for data gifting across their community.
“I couldn’t use my phone before I started visiting the digital hub, but then attending weekly meant I could send messages, emails and even downloaded an app! After a bereavement, Sean helped me unfreeze bank accounts online, access pension and bill information, and even helped me renew my passport. I really enjoy visiting every week to learn more and have more independence.”
Ken, service user, Holbeck Together
Helping people use the NHS app
Over the past three years Holbeck Together has seen a rise in demand for help with using digital health tools, with many members asking for support ordering their prescriptions online, managing appointments, and navigating texts and emails from health services. Working in partnership with 100% Digital Leeds, Holbeck Together became a Digital Health Hub in 2022. They started offering one-to-one support with the NHS app and helped people to use their GP practice’s websites to manage appointments. These support sessions expanded based on demand from the community, and Sean now delivers three digital drop-ins every week to support people with digital health tools, using How To guides to support people to learn at their own pace.
“Many of our older members have really struggled with the changes in how they engage with their GP practice. It’s great to be able to sit with them and help them download the NHS app, spend time showing them how to use it confidently, and help them have less anxiety around making appointments on the app and ordering their medication.”
Sean, Digital Inclusion Worker, Holbeck Together
The range of digital support offered within these drop-in sessions has been varied, with many people needing support with medication ordering, appointment managing, booking eye checks, diabetes checks, and blood tests online. Anyone within the community can access these drop-ins for digital support. Sean is looking to build stronger relationships with local GP practices to help them identify people with digital inclusion barriers and refer them to the support sessions.
The national NHS app team contacted Holbeck Together to take part in user research feedback and they have been attending their breakfast sessions. This has given members the chance to feedback on the new NHS app user interface and feedback on how they find navigating the app, sharing any challenges they have experienced when using it.
Delivering the Transport Connections project
100% Digital Leeds partnered with Leeds Older People’s Forum to lead Transport Connections. The project was funded through the Department for Transport’s ‘Tackling loneliness with transport’ fund, and focused on improving older people’s access and experiences with transport across the city.
Holbeck Together became a key delivery partner on the project alongside other organisations in Leeds, supporting older people to use taxi and bus apps, with a goal to increase their independence when travelling around the city.
Holbeck Together found the initial barriers their service users faced included:
- Lack of understanding of the range of travel apps available
- Lack of digital skills in using the apps
- Lack of understanding of the terminology used in the apps
- Lack of trust in their own ability to use the apps safely, including concerns around inputting personal details
In response, Holbeck Together’s Digital Inclusion Worker designed and delivered a series of tailored digital support sessions themed around the most common travel apps:
- Uber
- Veezu
- First Bus
- Moovit
- Trainline
The sessions were successful in helping members to develop their skills and confidence using the apps, and in raising awareness of which apps are available to give members more opportunities to travel around the city. Sean built peer support into the sessions, encouraging members to show each other the apps they found most useful, and sharing the benefits of booking travel digitally.
After the project ended, there was even more demand from members for support using travel apps. Holbeck Together decided to embed this digital support into their regular digital drop-in sessions.
“I was initially worried that I wouldn’t be able to use the First Bus app as it looked quite complex. I was so pleased the sessions helped me get more confidence with it, and I felt so much better checking bus routes and which bus stops I needed to be at. I look forward to taking bus journeys again. I even chose to get off at a different bus stop that I saw on the app so I could add a little walk and come home a different way!”
Janet, service user, Holbeck Together
Embedding digital inclusion support into other services
As well as providing support within the digital hub, Sean has explored other ways to reach people who may have barriers to digital inclusion. He regularly attends the coffee mornings and other sessions within the community café to chat to people and gain a deeper understanding of their digital inclusion needs and barriers. Sean also speaks to people as they come to collect a food parcel from the food pantry at Holbeck Together. He discusses the support available at the digital hub, and signposts people to the other elements of the digital inclusion offer including free data SIMs and access to equipment.
“When people come into the food pantry or when people come in to get help with their housing forms I ask, ‘What else do you need support with?’ It’s a comfortable setting and people really appreciate us asking what other support they need. I tell them they can come to us for digital support as much as they need. We leave the door open at the digital hub within the centre so people can come in whenever it’s open.”
Sean, Digital Inclusion Worker, Holbeck Together
More recently, Sean has started working closely with Chris, the Outreach Worker at Holbeck Together, to identify new ways to deliver digital support and reach more people. Chris delivers a range of support in and out of the centre and many of the people he works with do not have an email address or have low digital skills and confidence. Chris has started to refer his clients to the digital hub to receive support from Sean.
“I ask people if they have a device, if they have an email address, and I ask questions to understand if they need digital support. Then I can let them know about the digital hub. It’s made me think differently about how we can work together and take a two-pronged approach to providing support within Holbeck Together. I have my focus on outreach and wellbeing, and Sean focuses on digital inclusion.”
Chris, Outreach Worker, Holbeck Together
Holbeck Together partnered with Cycling UK’s The Bike Revival to offer six-week courses providing people with a free bike and support in riding their bike and bike maintenance. Chris led this project and explored ways to embed digital inclusion into the programme. Sean began providing digital support within the project, supporting people to use the maps app to plan cycling routes, how to MOT your bike using videos on YouTube, using the Beryl bikes app, and supporting people to develop their digital skills whilst taking part in the course.
Setting up digital hubs in the community
Holbeck Together’s outreach support is also delivered at a variety of locations within the community. Sean has started visiting these locations to offer digital skills support alongside Chris delivering the wider health and wellbeing support. This new way of working has enabled more of the community to access digital support outside of the centre.
This started with offering digital support at St Peter’s Court sheltered accommodation where many of the residents couldn’t visit the centre due to their mobility issues. On the first Friday of each month Sean is now delivering a digital drop-in there to support many people with a wide range of digital inclusion needs.
“I appreciate the digital support so much. They’re so understanding and are truly helpful and go beyond what is required. I find out something new every time and it’s given me a new lease of life.”
Jennifer, service user, Holbeck Together
Holbeck Together are exploring more sheltered accommodation schemes and other places in the community where they could set up regular digital hubs alongside the support offered by their Outreach Worker. They are also working with probation services in the local area to support prison leavers with their digital skills and SIM gifting.
“I didn’t realise how many people couldn’t get to the centre for digital support, but now I’m able to go to these other locations alongside Chris’s outreach work. I’ve seen just how many people in the community need digital inclusion support that I wasn’t aware of. It’s going really well and we’re now looking at more places in the community where we can develop digital hubs on a regular basis.”
Sean, Digital Inclusion Worker, Holbeck Together
Next steps
Expanding digital support
Holbeck Together are planning to set up an IT recycling and repairs service within the digital hub, as many of the members have needed laptop repairs or have donated broken devices. They plan to refurbish these and make them available to more people within the community.
Sean is also looking at some new themes for the digital skills sessions:
- Backing up data on devices: exploring ways to back up photos and files, as many of the members attending the digital hub aren’t aware how they can do this
- Job applications: more support around CV writing, applying for jobs and supporting people with accredited courses to increase opportunities for employment
- Health apps: more support around specific health apps to support people living with long-term conditions
Corporate partnerships
100% Digital Leeds is working with businesses in the city on their social value offer. SCC expressed an interest in partnering with an organisation in Holbeck, which led to 100% Digital Leeds connecting them with Holbeck Together to explore opportunities for how SCC may be able to support their digital inclusion offer. This partnership has developed and Holbeck Together are keen to build a long-standing relationship with SCC.
Many of Holbeck Together’s current devices on site are outdated or working slowly, so SCC have offered to provide Holbeck Together with new equipment such as laptops, desktops, and tablets. This will expand their service provision within the digital hub and Holbeck Together have confirmed that some of the devices can be available at St Peter’s Court sheltered accommodation for residents to use outside of the digital drop-ins.
Increasing capacity
To increase their capacity to deliver digital skills support within the centre and within the digital hubs in the community, Holbeck Together are exploring options around recruiting digital volunteers. They are using Voluntary Action Leeds’s Be Collective programme, as well as speaking to the DWP about hosting a work experience placement that could support their digital inclusion offer.
Funding for the Digital Inclusion Worker runs out later this year and, with the increased demand for digital inclusion support, Holbeck Together are looking to identify future funding opportunities with the help of 100% Digital Leeds.
Heart of Holbeck
In 2023, Leeds City Council launched plans for the regeneration of Holbeck, allocating more than £15million to the ‘Heart of Holbeck’ project. The plans will deliver transformative change throughout the community and a key strand will support Holbeck Together to improve St Matthew’s Community Centre where they run their services and digital hub. Holbeck Together are keen to explore ways to increase their digital inclusion offer through this development and will adapt their service offer to fit with the renovation of their buildings.
“We’re extremely grateful to work in partnership with 100% Digital Leeds. They’ve been tremendous at helping us identify and apply for funding and helped us really shape our digital inclusion offer to meet the needs of our community. A big thank you 100% Digital Leeds, we look forward to seeing what opportunities our partnership brings in the future!”
The team at Holbeck Together.