As part of our work to leverage tech sector support for digital inclusion, 100% Digital Leeds is building cross-sector partnerships that help the city’s third sector organisations benefit from the digital skills and capacity of the tech sector.
100% Digital Leeds has partnered with Virgin Media O2 Business (VMO2B) to find opportunities that maximise the impact of VMO2’s staff volunteer scheme, and their social value offer of free tablets and wifi for community organisations.
“Working with 100% Digital Leeds has made the process of getting our social value commitments into communities so much easier and more efficient because we share the motive of wanting to tackle digital exclusion. It’s part of 100% Digital Leeds’s goal, it’s in their job description, and it’s also part of how we want to deliver social value. So naturally, it’s an amazing fit because we’re trying to achieve the same outcomes.
We at VMO2B have the resources that 100% Digital Leeds are looking for to support organisations, and 100% Digital Leeds have existing trusted relationships with the third sector, so having their support to identify the organisations who would most benefit from those resources, and to broker those relationships with us at VMO2B has helped bridge a gap, ensuring our social value commitments could have maximum impact.”
Evie Metcalfe, Social Value Lead, Virgin Media O2 Business.
‘Connect More’ employer supported volunteering
100% Digital Leeds is working with VMO2B to ensure the volunteer capacity available via their Connect More programme is used to best effect by coordinating a programme of digital drop-in sessions in health settings across Leeds. The programme enables VMO2 staff to use their employer supported volunteering hours to deliver digital drop-in sessions to help people to use digital health tools.
The Connect More programme offers staff volunteer capacity to support digital skills and confidence for people and communities. Employees can take five volunteering days a year, and each staff volunteer completes Digital Champion training created in partnership with Digital Unite, ensuring they have the skills they need.
“Working with 100% Digital Leeds makes the process a lot easier for me. Partnering with an organisation with contacts on the ground means that we can get the support where it’s needed fast, so people can get the help they need straight away. When 100% Digital Leeds link me in with a GP practice, it’s clear the practice staff have already been given a basic understanding of what the programme is, and what we can do and what we can’t do. This means that the sessions run a lot more smoothly and it’s a better experience for me, the practice, and our volunteers.”
Freya Basey, B2B Digital Inclusion Programme Manager, Virgin Media O2 Business.
Over a period of nine months, VMO2 employees have delivered 38 hours of support across five GP practices and one community organisation, supporting 77 people to develop the digital skills and confidence to engage with digital heath tools, for improved health outcomes. Further sessions are planned in Primary Care settings in partnership with GP Practices, and in health centres in partnership with Leeds Community Healthcare NHS Trust.
On 1 July 2025, the Digital Poverty Alliance and VMO2 Business co-led a focused webinar exploring how inclusive digital healthcare can strengthen health outcomes, improve patient experience, and ease pressure on overstretched systems. 100% Digital Leeds presented on how Leeds has embedded digital inclusion into local health delivery using partnerships like VMO2.
Digital drop-in sessions in GP surgeries
100% Digital Leeds has coordinated the sessions based on individual practices’ implementation plans for the rollout of Patchs and the NHS app. This has given patients the chance to access digital support and gain greater awareness of the tools alongside the timeline of the practices’ digital launches. 100% Digital Leeds worked with VMO2 to tailor the sessions to individual practices’ needs, co-producing a guide for practices to support with preparation and promotion.
The first sessions were piloted with Diamond Medical Group within the Central North Primary Care Network. Patients received one-to-one support with signing up for the NHS app, ordering prescriptions, accessing Patchs, and managing their appointments. 35 patients were supported in the first two sessions, with positive feedback from both practices and patients.
“Without someone to help me, there’s no way I could have done it on my own. It was nice to have someone to sit with me and show me how to use it. It’s made it feel so much more understandable, I struggle to remember things so having the How To… guide helps me go back to what I’ve learnt today.”
Patient supported with the NHS app at a digital drop-in session at North Leeds Medical Practice.
After the success of the pilot, 100% Digital Leeds coordinated a series of further sessions at three more Diamond Medical Group practices: Meanwood Health Centre, Street Lane Practice, and Rutland Lodge Surgery. Further sessions are planned for Garden Surgery and St Martin’s Practice.
Digital drop-in sessions in partnership with Leeds Community Healthcare NHS Trust (LCH)
VMO2 are supporting Leeds Community Healthcare NHS Trust with the delivery of digital drop-in sessions in Health Centres in south and east Leeds. The chosen Health Centres house both LCH services and GP practices.
At the digital drop-in sessions people will be able to get support with a range of digital health tools. These include digital tools such as the NHS app, Primary Care tools such as Patchs, and LCH tools such as their new Information Hub. They can also get support with condition-specific self-management tools such as getUBetter, an app that is now being offered to people in Leeds who are living with musculoskeletal (MSK) pain, supporting those currently on waiting lists.
Digital drop-in sessions will take place at:
- Beeston Hill Health Centre, Wednesday 3rd December 2026, 10am to 2pm.
- Chapeltown Health Centre, Tuesday 17th February 2026, 10am to 2pm.
- Middleton Community Health Centre, Tuesday 31st March 2026, 10am to 2pm.
- Halton Clinic, Tuesday 28th April 2026, 10am to 2pm.
100% Digital Leeds has partnered with LCH since 2020. The partnership has continued to develop, with 100% Digital Leeds supporting LCH to embed digital inclusion into the trust’s Digital, Data and Technology Strategy, ensuring digital inclusion is considered across the whole trust. 100% Digital Leeds is working with LCH to ensure the trust’s staff are aware of the potential impact of digital exclusion, can easily identify digitally excluded patients, and can signpost people to digital inclusion support. LCH are supporting VMO2 volunteers with training on LCH and the patient-facing digital tools they offer.
“There are lots of digital health tools out there at the moment, and we need to be able to support people to use them. We have all of our clinicians asking patients digital literacy and ability screening questions as part of their assessments, so we know who needs support with digital. We have some clinicians going through how to set up an email address, and things like that, which they don’t really have time to do in a clinical assessment.
Until now clinicians have only had the option to signpost those in need of digital support to sessions delivered by community organisations. The support offered by community organisations is fantastic, but we don’t want to take up all of their capacity. When signposting to something at another location, on another day, there’s a chance people won’t access that service. Partnering with VMO2 means we can pilot offering digital support in a health centre, so clinicians can signpost people to something available there and then. If the pilot sessions go well, then we can plan more sessions, moving the support around the city.”
Amanda Jackson, Associate Chief Clinical Information Officer, Leeds Community Healthcare NHS Trust.
Tablets gifted to third sector partners
As part of their social value commitment to Leeds City Council, VMO2B donated 100 SIM-enabled tablets to gift to community organisations delivering digital inclusion support across the city. 100% Digital Leeds identified key third sector delivery partners in need of equipment to support digital inclusion for people and communities.
“Our partnership with 100% Digital Leeds has developed ways of working we want to replicate with other councils where possible. Working with an organisation that understands the needs of the community makes everything so much easier. We were able to ship the tablets to 100% Digital Leeds with the confidence that they would be distributed to the charities that needed them most, and where they would have the greatest impact.”
Evie Metcalfe, Social Value Lead, Virgin Media O2 Business.
Eight organisations received tablets: Barca-Leeds, Trust Leeds, AVSED, Positive Action for Refugees and Asylum seekers (PAFRAS), CATCH, Freedom 4 Girls, Halton Moor and Osmondthorpe Project for Everyone (HOPE), and Box Tree Court Residents Association. Between them these organisations support a range of communities more likely to be digitally excluded, including refugees and asylum seekers, prison leavers, older people, people experiencing homelessness, and women on low incomes.
The fact the tablets are SIM-enabled allowed organisations to pair the tablets with 4G data SIMs via schemes like Good Things Foundation’s National Databank. Being able to provide connectivity with the tablets gave organisations greater flexibility of use for the devices. Partners used the devices in a variety of ways, including use by staff to support service users’ digital skills and confidence, use by the organisation in digital skills learning sessions, and gifting equipment to service users unable to afford devices and connectivity.
Barca-Leeds
Barca-Leeds’s Accommodation for Ex-Offenders (AFEO) service supports people being released from prison who are resettling in Leeds. They work with people leaving prison who have nowhere to live on their release, who do not have any priority level for social housing and who would otherwise be homeless. AFEO works closely with the Leeds Housing Options service who have a partnership with local private sector landlords to provide rented housing for these people. AFEO is a Home Office funded national pilot project to test different approaches to providing accommodation for prison leavers and the Leeds AFEO service is one of the most successful.
Following release from prison, ex-offenders commonly experience isolation due to losing contact with family and friends, have a lack of employment opportunities and generally feel demotivated, lacking confidence and disconnected from society in general. These barriers can often lead to feelings of helplessness and can spiral into substance use and re-offending.
Barca-Leeds gifted a tablet and SIM card to a service user named Andrew. Barca-Leeds’s AFEO worker met with Andrew in prison before he was released to develop a plan. Andrew needed better digital access to enable him to look for work, rebuild and maintain contact with friends and family, and bid for social housing properties online within the Leeds choice-based lettings system.
Once the AFEO worker provided him with a tablet and a free SIM card with monthly data top-ups he was able to search and apply for work online, bid online for housing, and reconnect with his wider family, maintaining contact via email and social media channels.
“The addition of a tablet with internet access has clearly made a massive difference to Andrew’s life. He now has contact with his family, secured a job in a factory, and is in secure accommodation. Andrew has now successfully passed his probation order and continues to work full time. Having better access digitally has clearly been a beneficial part of his rehabilitation within the AFEO scheme”.
Khalid, Manager of the Engage and AFEO teams, Barca-Leeds.
Barca-Leeds’s AEFO staff have also used the tablets to embed digital inclusion support across their service. The tablets are used by staff to allow access to translation apps for better communication with service users who have English as an additional language, searching for information to support easier signposting on benefits, jobs, training and wider services, and encouraging service users to use digital tools to manage their health and wellbeing.
“Having access to a tablet when supporting service users means staff can be responsive, informed, and person-centred in how they deliver support. Easier access to digital tools and services brings flexibility, quality and consistency to the support we deliver.”
Khalid, Manager of the Engage and AFEO teams, Barca-Leeds.
Positive Action For Refugees and Asylum Seekers (PAFRAS)
PAFRAS aims to end destitution, increase access to social justice and advocate for the rights of refugees and people seeking asylum in Leeds. They work in a collaborative and empowering way, respecting refugees’ and asylum seekers’ knowledge and skills, resilience, and right to make decisions about their own lives. PAFRAS gifted tablets with SIM cards to refugees and asylum seekers who would otherwise be unable to afford a device.
“For us as an organisation, we get so many enquiries from people for tablets and phones. We don’t have a budget to be able to buy a device for all of the people who need one. When people are homeless, they live really chaotic lives, and not having a device makes things even more difficult for them, so it is really helpful when we can gift devices to people in those situations.”
Karen Pearse, Director, PAFRAS.
The tablets benefitted service users in a number of ways. Some used their tablet to more easily engage with solicitors helping them through their asylum claims. Due to the limited number of solicitors available to support asylum seekers, this work is often done remotely. As well as meeting remotely using video conferencing platforms, service users need to sign and return paperwork digitally. Having a tablet has allowed service users to sign and return documentation, or take pictures of documents as evidence to send to their solicitors.
Having access to the internet at home makes it easier for people to develop new skills. While many ESOL classes in Leeds are accessed in person, homework is often set remotely. Having a tablet with connectivity helps people to develop their English language skills more effectively. PAFRAS have also gifted tablets to families with children in school and college. As well as supporting students to complete online homework more easily, the tablets have been used by parents to better communicate with their children’s schools by using translation tools.
“People often have to wait a long time for an asylum decision. While they wait their only source of income is financial support from the Home Office, which is very little money. People have left a lot behind, and have nothing to do but wait, which leaves people bored and isolated. Having a tablet means people can more easily keep in touch with friends and family, in the UK and in their home country, which is so important for wellbeing. They can also access information about the asylum process, join classes to learn English, and get support from other services while they wait.”
Karen Pearse, Director, PAFRAS.
Freedom 4 Girls
The primary aim of Freedom 4 Girls is combatting period poverty, but the charity also supports low-income people and families from culturally diverse backgrounds in the Harehills, Gipton, and Beeston areas of Leeds, some of the most economically deprived communities in the city.
Freedom 4 Girls originally used their VMO2 tablets to form a tablet lending service for low-income families. However, it quickly became clear that the families receiving the devices had greatly benefitted from in-home digital access, and removing this support would be detrimental since families were unable to afford a permanent solution. In response to this Freedom 4 Girls quickly made the decision to allow families to keep the tablets. The 20 devices distributed are now actively used by approximately 60 individuals.
“This project has had a profound and lasting impact on some of the most underserved communities in Leeds. The tablets became more than devices – they became lifelines, enabling learning, connection, independence, and dignity. What began as a lending model has transformed into a vital support service, empowering families to thrive in a digital world.”
Tina Leslie, Founder and CEO, Freedom 4 Girls.
Most families had no access to suitable digital devices before receiving the tablets. The tablets have given families consistent, reliable access to online tools, educational content, and services. The tablets have allowed children to complete homework, use learning apps, and attend online classes through MEMEC school, helping to boost engagement, confidence, and a sense of inclusion in school life.
Many Roma and other minority ethnic parents gained digital confidence. With the tablets, they can now access information in their native languages, attend video calls with schools and healthcare providers, and explore more online services.
“I feel less scared now, I know I can do it.”
Service user, Freedom 4 Girls.
The ability to video call and use messaging apps has significantly reduced feelings of loneliness, especially among stay-at-home mothers. The tablets are used for NHS access, booking GP appointments, and school communication. Families report fewer missed appointments and stronger engagement with services.
“Now I feel like I’m not alone in the house all day.”
Service user, Freedom 4 Girls.
Free wifi for third sector organisations
As part of their social value commitment to Leeds City Council, VMO2B also provided five years of free wifi to 10 third sector organisations. The offer provides unlimited wifi usage for five years from installation, with a value of over £3,000 per connection. This offer allows third sector organisations to redirect funds to where they’re needed most, whilst supporting digital inclusion in communities by providing free connectivity.
The product is Voom Gig1 Business Fibre, providing up to 1000Mbps download speed and up to 100Mbps upload speed.
To be eligible for support organisations were required to be: not-for-profit organisations, in a Virgin Media serviceable area, able to grant permission for installation of wifi in their building, and willing to use the wifi to support digital inclusion in the community.
“It’s been really good to have 100% Digital Leeds as an expert partner on the ground. We recognise that every location has different needs, and we don’t have that local knowledge. Working with a team that has pre-existing relationships with a network of grassroots organisations has been really effective. 100% Digital Leeds already understand what the requirements of local community organisations are, and where our support would deliver the most impact. They can feed that information back to us at VMO2B and we can make sure that what we’re doing is targeted and beneficial to the community.”
Freya Basey, B2B Digital Inclusion Programme Manager, Virgin Media O2 Business.
100% Digital Leeds identified third sector organisations with spaces that are open to the community, hosting a range of different groups and community services, where lack of wifi was preventing organisations from embedding digital inclusion support into their offer.
The ten organisations that benefitted from free VMO2 wifi are: Hamwattan, Saint Aidan’s Parish Church, Harehills Lane Baptist Church, Drighlington Methodist Church, Seacroft Parish, Pudsey Community Project, Belonging, Empowering and Thriving (BEAT), Moortown Baptist Church, and Gildersome Methodist Chapel.
Hamwattan
Hamwattan is an organisation that supports the elderly community in Leeds, primarily of Pakistani and Kashmiri origin. They work to enable older people to live independently and pro-actively participate within their own communities. They provide support which reduces social isolation and financial hardship, and improves mental and physical health to improve the quality of life of its members.
Hamwattan were provided with a UK Shared Prosperity Fund (UKSPF) grant for tablets and laptops for use in both social and digital skills sessions, as well as VMO2 wifi for their centre.
“The VMO2 wifi has made a massive difference to us at Hamwattan. Having access to wifi means we’re able to work more quickly as an organisation. We’re now able to use shared cloud documents and make Zoom calls, making administration smoother and more efficient. We can help service users access services online, and make online referrals, on the spot. Our staff and volunteers are now able to complete online training at the centre, which they couldn’t before.
The wifi is used by our service users, too. We’ve been able to launch digital skills sessions, supporting people to use the internet safely and confidently. People are learning how to fill out online forms, scan QR codes, and use apps such as Google Translate and YouTube. We’ve also been using the internet to support our English language classes, using online videos and games to make learning more interactive and fun.”
Zainab, Project Manager, Hamwattan.
“I like the digital inclusion class because I can use the internet to hear how to say things better. It helps me to speak with the GP and understand more.”
Service user, Hamwattan.
“I was scared to use the internet before, but now I feel more confident. I’m starting to send messages, search things on Google, and do things by myself.”
Service user, Hamwattan.
Next Steps
100% Digital Leeds will continue to find opportunities to use the ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance), CSR (Corporate Social Responsibility), and Social Value offers from digital and tech companies to build the capacity of community organisations to support digital inclusion. We are working with colleagues in the council’s Procurement team, and with Voluntary Action Leeds, Forum Central, and Leeds Community Foundation to strengthen and streamline the processes in this area. We want to make it easy as possible for community organisations to benefit from the digital inclusion support that digital and tech companies can offer.