After 18 months like no other, Dorset Council’s volunteer Digital Champions were at long last able to get together in person to share their experiences of the past year and a half.
For the first time since all Digital Champion services were moved from libraries to the Digital Hotline in March 2020, our brilliant volunteers came together for an outdoor gathering in Dorchester.
And for those unable to attend, and in best digital fashion, they could hook up to a live feed on YouTube and ask questions online throughout the event.
It was our first hybrid event where we combined a live meeting with people joining in online.
Digital Champion, Mike Watson, said: “It was wonderful to see some of my fellow Digital Champions in person for the first time in 18 months. Our meeting took place physically on the lawn in front of County Hall, with about 12 folks present. We tried out some new technology so others could join the meeting remotely.
“The technology was, by and large, fine, and the rain held off, but the wind played havoc with my hair!
“It was just so nice to participate in yet another (small) step along the road to normality.”
At the event the Digital Champions were thanked for helping more than 1,000 people throughout the Covid pandemic via the Digital Hotline.
That Hotline – 01305 221048 – will continue for people who need digital help.
Meanwhile, Digital Champions have resumed face to face support at some of the Dorset Council libraries and in community centres Get online with our volunteer Digital Champions – Dorset Council
Mike added: “We were able to keep going throughout the pandemic thanks to the Digital Hotline, where calls ranged from simple queries, such as making video calls, through to more formal topics, involving on-line banking.
“Although we were very happy to help in this way, we all acknowledged that telephone support is second-best when it comes to helping someone get the best from the internet.
“That’s why we were very excited to re-launch our face-to-face services (well, security-screen to face-visor service) in several of our county libraries.
“With great Covid-support from the library service we have now held several sessions in five libraries and two community centres, with other centres joining in as we get more adept at running in a covid-secure environment.”
At their gathering, the champions were given an insight on to how the library sessions are going and told that more and more face-to-face sessions will gradually re-start.
And finally, the champions were told about a new initiative that will help support the work they are already doing in the community.
Dorset Council is recruiting a team of ‘embedded digital champions’ who are customer facing staff who work in public and voluntary organisations.
These champions will be able to assist customers who are not confident accessing online services.
Dorset Council’s Routes 2 Inclusion project officer, Lyndsey Trinder, said: “It was so wonderful to see some of our Digital Champions and have the opportunity to thank them in person for all they have done during the Covid pandemic.
“This was our first hybrid event and it was a valuable learning experience for us. We now know how to overcome some glitches we experienced and we definitely want to do more events of this type, taking on board feedback we had from the people who attended remotely.”
“The events of the last 18 months have really shown how important digital is.
“Throughout the lockdowns our champions supported those with low digital skills use devices for the first time, provided virtual mentoring to the long-time unemployed and helped people get to grips with this new virtual way of learning and working.
“They truly are our champions!”
I have worked in communications for 25 years, first as a journalist and then in public and private sector public relations. From Southampton originally, I have lived in beautiful Dorset for the last two decades. My passion for Dorset has also turned into a passion for landscape photography. My other great loves are my family and Southampton Football Club.
Dear Digital Champions,
I am a volunteer for the Dorset Blind Association (DBA)and have been working via the telephone (during the pandemic) with a lady Beryl in Sturminster Newton.
She has some quite severe medical difficulties as well as her sight problems which are worsening.
I believe it was through your service that several people in Dorset were given a Tablet to help them communicate and manage their lives better.
I also think it was yourselves I contacted during the pandemic. I discovered that Beryl had this lovley Tablet ‘sitting in a drawer’, as she did not have the confidence or training to use it ( although I think you had featured her with a picture in your newsletter in the last 2 years as if she was using it!)
I was advised that you may be able to supply this help/training for Beryl once you can do ‘Face to Face’ visits. Is that now?!
My main aim is – that once she has a tablet functioning (with her able to understand some basic aspects) – we (me or DBA) can buy/donate an Echo Dot (or equivalent) to her, and to connect it through the tablet. She can then use it to ask questions/surf the net etc, without having to use a keyboard. Reading and all aspects of her vision are seriously deteriorating for her.
She is about 70 years old. She has an active mind; is not very ‘streetwise’, quite shy in some ways. Although I haven’t actually met her!
Do you think there will be a way to get her ‘up and running’ /’connected’ – especially if I work to get an Echo Dot ( or equivalent)?
Hi Clare, thank you for your comment. We have emailed you with details of face-to-face Digital Champion sessions in Sturminster Newton. We very much hope Beryl will benefit from these. Details on all our face to face sessions are also available here: https://news.dorsetcouncil.gov.uk/digital-first/2021/05/28/digital-champions/
Kind regards, Rachel