Apr 5, 2025
Coming into Easter we have a few places left on our 6 – week courses at both Anerley Town Hall (Laptop Self-Care) and Thornton Heath Library (Getting more from Google).
In Laptop Self-Care will learn how to access your settings, run updates and ensure you have a working antivirus whilst with Getting more from Google you get to understand what a Google Account is and how to access the various different apps and services available.
Both help you fill in important gaps in knowledge and help you build confidence to use your laptop or the internet more confidently.
We’ve also extended our Being Safer Online dates at both Woodside Baptist Church and Orpington Methodist Church as well as announcing 4 new dates at Waterloo Action Centre.
These workshops help to understand the fundamentals of keeping your mobile phone safe and how to be more secure and confident in using the internet.
Importantly our Digital Drop-Ins and Online Services Support sessions pause for the week of the 14th-18th April for an Easter break.
See you at one of our sessions
Feb 28, 2025
Well, we didn’t expect this!
On Monday, we hosted our Digital Horizons event to launch our new Digital Hub in Orpington.
We’ve been working there since November and getting to know the community. We now run Digital Drop-Ins every Monday as well as regular workshops to help people be safer online or use their mobile phone better.
We have developed a wonderful relationship with the primary care network and local GP practices and recently registered the project with the Good Things Foundation so we can also add sim distribution and access to devices to the offer – so what better time for a party!
We lined up a range of speakers from the local council, trading standards, NHS, Digital Unite alongside our team members, invited local partners to come and mingle and meet with the community including Age UK Bromley & Greenwich, Bromley Mencap, SEL Mind, Bromley Well, Citizens Advice Bromley, Home Instead, Bromley Experts by Experience and the Rotary Orpington District E-Club.
Throw in some refreshments and a raffle for a donated smart phone and Chromebook (Thank you Good Things!) we expected around 35 but were cautiously nervous as, let’s face it, it wasn’t the best of weather.
At about 1.45 I was called to the front entrance to support a wheelchair user who couldn’t get through the front door and saw a long queue going right round the block.
Wowsers!
I’d been happy with 20 people to be honest but didn’t expect the 200 that showed. What an amazing turnout and a huge thank you to all involved, especially the Rotary Orpington District E-Club who miraculously fed and watered everyone and, most importantly, made them feel welcome.
We are still recovering from this, but it does demonstrate that our approach of combining digital connectivity with social connections, sharing problems or challenges and peer support is a way of bringing along those at the sharper end of Digital Exclusion and having meaningful fun along the way.
Feb 23, 2025
Join us on Mon Feb 24 2025 at 14:00 at the Orpington Methodist Church for an afternoon of workshops & advice to launch our new Digital Hub and to connect with the local community.
We have the following talks and speakers:
- “How can being connected beat loneliness?” Helayna, Bromley Loneliness Champion
- “Being Safe from Scams” Beverley, Bromley Trading Standards
- “Top tips for being safer with your mobile phone” Caspar, ClearCommunityWeb
- “Online consultations made clear”- Catia, Digital First Change Manager (Bromley)
- “Readiness: A sure fire approach to completing complicated online forms” Laura, ClearCommunityWeb
- “How being a Digital Champion can help you connect and improve your own skills” Rashpal – Digital Unite
We also have information tables from the following partners Bromley Trading Standards, Bromley Council, Citizens Advice Bromley, Age UK Bromley & Greenwich, Bromley Well, Mind, Bromley XbyX, Orpington PCN, Bromley Health Champions, Orpington Rotary Club, Brenda’s Dynamic Day Care, Home Instead Bromley
This is for residents, groups & partners alike, so please come along and what see what this is all about and how we can work together.
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Feb 15, 2025
We’re already mid-point through February and we are at half term so just a reminder that we will not be running any Digital Drop-Ins or Online Services Support sessions until Monday 24th February with the exception of Orpington Methodist Church (Monday 2pm-4pm) and Woodside Baptist Church (Tuesday 12.30-2.20) where will also be running out new ‘Being Safe Online’ workshop where we will be focusing on WhatsApp.
We have two big announcements to make:
On Monday 24th February we will be hosting our Digital Horizons event at Orpington Methodist Church celebrating the launch of our Digital Hub. We will have a range of talks about being connected and being safe from Bromley Trading Standards, Age UK Bromley & Greenwich, NHS, Bromley Council, Digital Unite and yours truly.
If you are local and haven’t been along yet then it would be good to connect and show you around our new space!
Secondly, we are collaborating with Upper Norwood Library Hub with an exciting new Art project around the theme: Equity in digital inclusion. We are looking for people with views about what it means to be excluded digitally and struggling to access critical services. Over 3 afternoons in March the group will explore this subject area through facilitated workshops and contribute to an exhibition later in the year. No experience necessary and we are looking for a wide range of views, lived experience and the experience of people you care for
More info can be found here
