The Coventry City Council is working with a number of other groups to help people in the area stay in touch this winter. Part of the cost of living Coventry program.
Cost of Living Help in Coventry
The #CovConnects Team of the Council is working with the AbilityNet charity and the Moat House Community Trust on a project that will help ten digitally-excluded people in the area get online.
Full article at : https://www.coventry.gov.uk/news/article/4492/partnership-working-helps-residents-to-stay-connected
With the ConnectingU plan, you can get free Laptop devices
Residents will have a number of help sessions that will teach them important digital skills as part of the project. AbilityNet’s ConnectingU programme, part of the cost of living Coventry program, will give them a Lenovo device to use during these sessions, which they will be able to keep.
These sessions will be held at the Henley Green Grub Hub in December. MHCT, AbilityNet, and the EnV’s City Host Digital Champions will run them.
Residents who take part in the sessions will be over 50 years old and/or have a disability. MHCT officers have chosen these people to take part in this project.
Rising cost of living for Coventry residents
This project is just one way that the Council and its partners are working to solve the problem of the rising cost of living. Visit www.coventry.gov.uk/costofliving for more information about the cost of living and working in the city.
Go to www.coventry.gov.uk/covconnects to find out more about the Council’s digital inclusion programme.
AbilityNet helps people of all ages and with all kinds of disabilities use all kinds of digital technology. You can learn more about how they do this at www.abilitynet.org.uk.
Cllr Richard Brown, Cabinet Member for Strategic Finance and Resources at Coventry City Council, said: “We know that the older and disabled people are more likely to be digitally excluded which can leave them feeling cut off. The effects of this are often made worse in winter when it becomes more difficult to physically get out and about.
“That’s why I’m so pleased that with this project we’re going to be able to directly tackle that. I’m grateful to the MHCT and AbilityNet for working with us to change these residents’ lives for the better.
“This is also a great example of the #CovConnects programme in action. We have to take a One Coventry approach to tackling digital exclusion in our city and that means working closely with our partners to directly enable our residents to get the most from the digital world.”
Annie Mannion, Digital Communications Manager at AbilityNet, commented:
“AbilityNet is delighted the ConnectingU scheme is able to make such a difference to people in Coventry who are digitally excluded. We’re looking forward to seeing the impact which this programme can bring.”
Dianne Williams, CEO Moat House Community Trust, said:
“This is an exciting opportunity to support residents in becoming confident in accessing the huge resources available digitally.”
More about AbilityNet and the ConnectingU program,
More information available at :
ConnectingU with the help of the team at Lenovo and its digital equity programme. 300 digital devices (Lenovo 500e Chromebook 2nd Gen and SIM-enabled Lenovo Tablet M10) and help will be made available to anyone who has trouble using any digital service, such as banking or using online government services. Recipients must live in the UK and be over 50 or be disabled and over 18 and live in the UK.
People who are older or have disabilities are often left out of the digital world. The goal of the ConnectingU project is to close the digital divide by giving people devices and, just as important, the skills they need to use them on their own in the future.
All of the people who get the devices will be able to get free training and help from AbilityNet’s free Tech Support services, which include a toll-free helpline, online resources, and volunteer tech support.
Volunteers can help with all kinds of IT problems, like setting up a device, fixing technical problems, staying in touch with family, and staying safe online. We also help people with disabilities or impairments get around any problems they may have because of their disability or impairment.
The devices will also come with a SIM card that has data, unlimited calls and texts for 6 months already loaded on it. Support from the Good Things Foundation helped get this bundle through the National Databank Scheme.
The following are the qualifications for a device:
Recipients must be over 50 years old and digitally excluded, which means they don’t have a computer or other digital device that works for them.
OR
Recipients must be over 18 and have a disability of any kind. They also can’t already have a digital device that meets their needs.
A
Organizations that want to be successful must attend an onboarding webinar.
All enquiries to Chris Grant via email chris.grant@abilitynet.org.uk
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