This year we celebrate the 10th anniversary of our volunteer digital champion service and over the next few months we’ll be shining a light on the difference this is making to people’s lives.
We start with a feature on one of our longest serving champions, Mike Watson.
It was a just normal day of the week for Mike as he made one of his regular visits to Dorchester Library – but little did he know it would mark the start of a new chapter in his life.
The retired computer programmer was checking out his books when something caught his eyes. It was a card asking if he needed help.
He recalled: “I thought ‘no,’ I don’t need any help. But I picked the card up anyway. On the back it said, ‘do you want to help?’ and I took it away and thought, ‘yes – actually I do want to help.’”
It was that moment in 2016 when Mike became one of Dorset Council’s volunteer digital champions.
In the seven years since he has helped hundreds of people to be more confident and embrace the digital world – a world that is increasingly becoming more important in all our lives.
And although Mike has a background in IT, he says his career was mainly in management and describes himself as “not very good technically”.
So, what made him want to be a volunteer? He said simply: “I like talking to people and listening to them and their problems, so I thought – I’ll give it a try.”
After his first few sessions as a digital champion Mike quickly realised that most people needed simple help – simple help that made a huge difference to them.
Mike recalls one example of how introducing people to digital can be life changing.
“It was two years before Covid and I had a lady who used to come in fairly regularly with her iPad,” he said.
“One day she came in with her gas bill and asked me how she could look online and reduce her bills.
“I showed her how to navigate online comparison sites and in 30 minutes we saved her £40 a month.”
Mike passionately believes in helping people to be digital.
“There are many benefits people can apply for, but you must start online. And people are missing out because of this,” Mike said frustratingly.
“There is much more interest in digital since Covid and I do think people are now seeing the benefits of being digital.”
Mike said most people who come to him are already on the digital journey, they just need that extra bit of help.
“My involvement is usually with people who have a device and want to understand how to use it better or more safely,” he explained.
“But of course, we can also help people who are completely offline.
“I’ve developed a response to the ‘why do I want to do that for’. And my response is: Well, if you’re the sort of person that doesn’t mind paying over the odds for your fuel, perhaps you don’t need it. Or if you don’t want to see pictures of your grandchildren perhaps you don’t need it.
“You can’t force people to do this, you’ve got to get them to think ‘I need to do this’.”
Once Mike has got someone through the door, he finds they often come back for several sessions.
His regulars turn up with a list of things they want to go through. They take notes, practise at home and come back the following week with a new list.
So, what type of things are people coming to Mike for help with?
He said: “It’s gradually shifting from general communications like emails, saving photos, Zoom etc to more online buying and selling.
“No one wants to learn how to get online to their GP surgery, however! Which I find crazy! I’m a digital champion at my local surgery and I’ve warned them not to expect people to come in and say ‘can you get me onto the NHS app’.
“Many people just need that hook to get into the digital world and once they are in, then they are willing to look at other things like health apps.”
The one thing that’s guaranteed with digital, is that it is forever changing – often at a very fast pace.
Even since 2016 Mike has witnessed the revolution of apps.
Mike said: “Today there are millions of apps that you can get to do just one small thing and it’s so worth getting them, like the car park app. The apps are so personally useful.”
One of the biggest barriers to people getting online is security fears.
“I had a lady in Weymouth and it was about her third visit and I said why don’t we give online shopping a go,” he recalled.
“She was very reluctant, so I suggested she open another bank account in which she had a card where the limit was just £100.
“She came in next week with a different bank card and was prepared to give it a go. She had a health condition that meant her hands would stiffen up and she was desperate to buy some gloves that cost £10. I said, let’s make that the first purchase.
“Then she arrived at our next appointment with her new gloves, ready to do some more damage online with her bank card! There are ways of limiting the risk and we can help people to protect themselves online.”
Mike is far from surprised that the volunteer digital champion service is still going strong after 10 years.
He says the focus will have to move to workplace digital skills.
The Lloyds Consumer Index – the nation’s most comprehensive study of digital skills – said there are 17.1 million people in employment with inadequate digital skills.
“Who is getting in amongst working people?,” Mike said.
“I want to be able to go into local companies at lunchtime and run sessions. We can do something to get among these 17.1 million people because if we don’t start addressing them, this is going to go on and not just in my lifetime.”
How Mike helped Patrick get online
Patrick first went to Mike for help before Covid and he’s been going ever since.
His first visit was prompted by him by wanting to search online so he could get more info on the tv characters from Foyles War and the history surrounding it.
“Mike’s been very good and very patient I have to say,” Patrick said. “Because I’m not very au fait with computers my son gave up ever having to teach me anything to do with them! I saw in the Dorset Council newsletter about digital champions, so I rang up and made an appointment.
“As time has gone by, I’ve begun to find things a bit easier. I’ve also started doing a bit of invigilating and to an extent I need to know a little about computers even though I find it difficult. I’m not from that generation. I was in PR for 8 years in Littlewood’s HO in Liverpool and we never saw a computer. This was in the 1970s. We were on the 11th floor and the computer section was down on the 2nd floor. We considered them as absolute geeks!
“I am using digital more after seeing Mike but I do forget how to do things, that’s why I need to keep coming back.
“But I do feel that it’s important to know a little bit and that’s what Mike is helping me to learn. He’s a patient gentleman and I’d certainly recommend him.”
If you, or anyone you know, could benefit from help from one of our volunteer digital champions – click here to find out where your nearest session is: Digital Champion sessions – Dorset Council
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.