Network meeting 25 February 2025
Thank you to everyone who attended the meeting, it was wonderful to see you all!
Host: Will Plant – Digital Inclusion Lead at Connecting Cambridgeshire
Co-Host: Sally Page – Deputy CEO at CCVS
Co-Host: Karen Cann – Communications and Development Worker at CCVS
Guest Speaker: Dan Woodhead, Customer Success Manager at IE Hub
Attendees
Amana Khan – National Management Trainee at Connecting Cambridgeshire
Rosie Veitch – Library Development Officer at Cambridgeshire Libraries
James Lewis – Community Connector at Places For People
Tom Heffer – Marketing and Partnerships Lead at Cambridgeshire County Council
Terry Henderson – Education Lead at CWU Eastern No 5 Branch
Jack Avison – Digital and Community Engagement Coordinator at How Are You Fenland (CPFT)
Alex Hughes – Co-Founder at St Neots Citizen Hub and Chair at Inspire 2 Ignite CIC
Jo Jordan – Quality and Compliance Lead at Citizens Advice Cambridge & District
Clair Slade – Community Connector at Cambridgeshire County Council
Immy Black – Senior Project and External Affairs Officer at the Digital Poverty Alliance
Kate Doak-Keszler – Tithe Barn Trust
Kate Jones – Marketing Manager at Studio 24 and Trustee at Cherry Hinton Hub
Emma Martin – Digital Design Lead at Cumberland Council
Joanne Grime – Service Design Manager at Blackburn with Darwen Borough Council
Mairead Wright – Employment Skills and Enterprise Manager at Amplius
Sally from Cambridge CVS shared some items of interest
Small Grants: offers funding of up to £1,500 to community projects that address digital barriers impacting local communities. This programme is centrally run and designed to provide small ‘one-off’ small grants. Deadline end of March.
Cambridgeshire Community Foundation latest funding rounds open.
Charity Digital Code of Practice consultation.
Includes:
- Guidance on using AI, recognising its growing importance to charities
– Increased guidance on data, to help improve decision making
– A bigger emphasis on inclusion, making sure the Code helps create a digital world that works for everyone.
Large charities: https://lnkd.in/eAYXTBxq
Small charities: https://lnkd.in/esuuN2GJ
Video on new Minimum Digital Living Standard
Funding
Clarion Future Digital: https://www.myclarionhousing.com/my-community/community-life/community-and-digital-grants
Net Solutions Wales: https://supportcambridgeshire.org.uk/i-t-grants-net-solutions-wales-closes-30-june/
Good Things Foundation: https://network.goodthingsfoundation.org/funding-and-services/funding-available
Update from Connecting Cambridgeshire
Will stated that the Government’s Digital Inclusion Action Plan will be published 26 February and there is a call for evidence. Deadline 9 April 2025.
Will said that Connecting Cambridgeshire are looking to launch their second delivery plan in the Spring. It will include their progress and successes and set out what the next financial year will look like.
Connecting Cambridgeshire’s wider four-year plan will also launch in the new financial year.
They are also working with Cambridge Online and Cambridge City Council to create a new version of the Digital Directory. The 2022 version can be found here.
Amana reported on our successful Connect and Celebrate in-person event that we held in December 2024, and Will followed to say it was great to have everyone in the room together and to hear passionate conversations. You can read more in her blog here.
Will then went on to say they’ve commissioned some behavioural research with the Cambridge Centre for Planning Research. The final report will be delivered in March. It will help them understand how people feel about technology and digital, whether they use it themselves or must ask someone for help, and how we can better engage with them.
Will invited people to provide feedback on the Partnership, as we would like it to be the best it can be for members.
Guest Speaker
A big thank you to Dan Woodhead, Customer Success Manager at IE Hub, who provided us with a demonstration of the income and expenditure platform that supports people with financial difficulties.
You can view his presentation in the video below. Please note that captions are available on YouTube.
Discussion
Will stated that a tool like this would potentially mean more money in people’s pockets and therefore great for digital inclusion.
He also mentioned that you could guide people through the site without having to see their private financial information.
James Lewis offered to link Dan with the Financial Capability Forum.
A member asked how the IE Hub was funded. Dan said they are a commercial organisation but are FinTech for Good. It is funded through commercial organisations but it’s free for users and for charities.
A member asked if a company doesn’t pay into the IE Hub can you still share with them? Dan said yes, you simply add their details, as a customer you can share with anyone.
A member asked as well as flagging benefits, does it also flag broadband and water tariffs? Dan said absolutely and they are working with people all the time to add benefits. For example, they worked with Scope and could provide heated blankets for people in need.
A member asked if someone was on a variable or low income, such as someone on Universal Credit, could they update information easily. Dan said, yes, they can log in as many times as they want to update their information and send to providers.
If you require any more information please email Dan: [email protected]
Members’ updates
Alex at the Citizen Hub said he isn’t aware of any digital inclusion support in St Neots and is concerned that people will be left behind. He recognises there is a big gap both for employed and unemployed people. Many people walk into the Hub and ask for help with tech, but they haven’t the capacity to help. He asked for support.
Alex also mentioned that there is a plan for AI Hubs. It would be great if they can consider a social offering around digital inclusion, and it may be good to reach out and have a conversation with St Johns Innovation Centre and the Bradfield Centre – the bigger tech firms.
Terry at CWU Eastern No 5 Branch said they have recently become a Good Things Foundation Hub so they can provide SIM cards, and again, like Alex, he is struggling to give time to that due to capacity. He said he finds that older people and people with lower incomes, are really struggling with digital.
Terry said he has joined the network to find out what other services are happening in Cambridgeshire.
Rosie from Cambridgeshire Libraries signposted Alex to the St Neots Library and said they are a national databank and have Digital Buddies there. All 30 libraries are registered as Digital Inclusion Hubs with Good Things Foundation. Rosie also said that she knows the struggle; you can have the connectivity and the kit, but you also need the people to teach.
Rosie said they’ve helped 6,500 people with SIM cards, and they have applied to extend service in Bar Hill as there is so much demand there with the new arrivals hotel next door. They’ve also been accepted as a device bank so have taken delivery of 50 Chromebooks from Good Things Foundation.
They lead a nationwide conversation with Good Things Foundation and the libraries who are doing digital inclusion from all over the UK.
Exciting news is that a consortium of nine libraries around the UK, with financial backing from the Arts Council England, The BFI and The Space, will do virtual reality for the first time since 2019. Cambridgeshire Libraries are doing two VR tours this year and will soon be receiving headsets. The Spring tour starts in April in Fenland, then Huntingdonshire and then the autumn tour in Cambridge and South Cambs.
There will be shown a film called Berlin Blitz 1942; they took the pilot’s radio commentary and built a Lancaster plane around him. So, using a VR headset, you can experience being in a plane and looking around 360 degrees. There will also be an orchestra and Wallace and Gromit. Rosie said please signpost people as it’s rare to get these opportunities outside of Cambridge.
Jack from How Are You Fenland (CPFT) said he’s connecting with community groups to put their photos and videos on the H.A.Y site. Their YouTube channel is also doing well with 17 hours of their videos watched each month.
He said there is a lack of places where you can have a hybrid meeting in Fenland. It’s unfortunate as people have difficulties getting to places, so they can’t attend. He thinks if they had more facilities then it would make a big difference.
Jack said that more digital skills training to make meetings more interesting would be good, such as making inclusive posters, using Mirror Mirror, Mentimeter etc..
Jack said he was one of the first in Fenland to use an online whiteboard which has been good to help people feel included, so they can have their say without having to speak. They can also go away and think, and come back and add things to the whiteboard.
He feels giving people confidence with those skills would be beneficial.
He also reports that the Chatteris u3a are in the process of live steaming their meetings so housebound people or people who can’t attend in person can join the meeting. He hopes that funding can support other groups to do the same.
Will said that Connecting Cambridgeshire is looking to establish digital hubs to supplement what the libraries do, so as well as provide connectivity and devices, also improve skills and confidence.
Jack also shared H.A.Y’s submission form: http://bit.ly/2MGRmJk
Immy from Digital Poverty Alliance shared their Tech for Young Carers programme and DPA are looking to get more publicity to reach those young carers. They are supporting with laptops, internet connectivity and digital skills. Immy said she would be very grateful if people could share leaflets or links on social media.
Immy also said that if CDP members would like to have a voice at their national networks, then just get in touch.
Alex added that the Citizen Hub’s Young Carers Hub is starting in March.
James from Places for People, then provided an update on the Poverty Strategy Commission as digital inclusion is a part of that. The final report will be due at the end of April, and he will be leading on the digital inclusion theme with Nick Blencowe from CAB. They will encouraging other stakeholders to be more involved in digital inclusion, for example, to pass on surplus IT equipment.
Tom from Cambridgeshire Skills shared their courses and said to ignore the August start date.
It was wonderful to see everyone and hear your news. We were thrilled to see connections being made and so many offers of help.
The next meeting will be on 20 May.
If you have any ideas or suggestions, please email: [email protected]
Thanks again for being part of our community.