On Thursday 14 November, the Welsh Government Cabinet Secretary for Social Justice, Jane Hutt, will visit Palmerston Centre for Lifelong Learning in Barry to see the Vale of Glamorgan’s digitally inclusive tablet loan scheme at work, and to meet the Vale’s digital champions and the residents they are supporting.
With 170,000 people in Wales (7% of the population) not using the internet, there are still too many people missing out on digital opportunities – but the Vale of Glamorgan’s tablet loan scheme is taking the initiative to get Wales online.
The Vale of Glamorgan is known for its rolling countryside, coastal communities and rural villages, as well as Wales’s largest town, Barry.
Rural areas are particularly at risk from loneliness and isolation, which made the Vale the ideal location to launch the tablet loan scheme.
Digital inclusion can help individuals seek, secure, and sustain employment, access health and other public services, reduce loneliness and isolation, and improve wellbeing.
Sometimes digital exclusion is due to lack of confidence and knowledge.
Sometimes it’s due to the inability to access equipment or the internet.
The Vale of Glamorgan’s tablet loan scheme, working with digital champions, is tackling both of these challenges by supporting residents to access equipment, gain digital skills and to get online with confidence.
The digital champions are dedicated volunteers who foster a sense of community and share their digital experience, while the iPads come pre-loaded with apps and local information, as well as a free SIM card.
The initiative is thanks to a partnership between Cwmpas’ Digital Communities Wales team, the Vale of Glamorgan Council, and a network of supportive organisations in the Get the Vale Online partnership.
Jocelle Lovell, Director of Inclusive Communities at Cwmpas, said:
“As more and more vital public services are being delivered online, the Digital Communities Wales team at Cwmpas and our partners are working hard to make sure everyone in Wales has the option to be online. Digital inclusion means having the skills, support, and confidence to get online and engage safely, as well as access to digital equipment and data. In this day and age, no-one should be left behind.
“Thanks to this fantastic initiative, residents of the Vale of Glamorgan can now borrow an iPad in the same way that they can borrow a book, and gain digital knowhow from real life digital champions. It is fantastic to see this initiative underway.”
The Welsh Government Cabinet Secretary for Social Justice, Jane Hutt, said:
“Digital inclusion is about more than just getting people online – it’s about making sure everyone has a fair chance to thrive in today’s world, including by ensuring non-digital routes are also available. As a government, we are committed to create a more equal and connected society by opening doors for people who might otherwise be left behind.”
Cllr Rhiannon Birch, Vale of Glamorgan Council Cabinet Member for Education, Arts and the Welsh Language, said:
“This fantastic tablet loan scheme at Palmerston Centre for Lifelong Learning is just one way in which the Council and partners are helping residents to get online.
“Our Get the Vale Online campaign offers a range of formal and informal learning opportunities, including drop-in sessions, one-to-one support and courses.
“This can help people gain the skills they need to be confident with digital technology bringing with it a range of benefits. These include helping friends and family stay in touch virtually, the opportunity to save money off household bills and the chance to explore job opportunities online.”
