Bridging the Digital Divide

On Tuesday, I visited Victoria Hall in Glossop to meet the team from PCrefurb who host a monthly digital support session in the Hall, providing digital skills training for people who need help accessing digital services.

The organisation aims to ‘bridge the digital divide’ by offering support to individuals with limited computer knowledge or internet access. PCrefurb is a small Glossop based charity which currently has seven staff and was constituted as a Community Interest Organisation (CIO) in 2018. They work closely with local organisations to provide digital skills training and improve digital accessibility in the community.

Their digital support groups are free, and feature trained digital tutors who are ready to help. During the sessions, participants can receive support with digital skills, use the available equipment and gain the confidence to get online safely.

The Victoria Hall in Glossop session was such a relaxed environment, where visitors can go along and receive one to one support, along with a cup of coffee (biscuits included!)

Another main part of what PCrefurb does is to refurbish and recycle unwanted, donated IT equipment to help prevent it being thrown away. They appeal to local companies for laptops, tablets and desktop computers that can be refurbished and passed to individuals, charities, community groups and educational establishments without access to IT or the means to acquire it.

Sam Hardy, Project Lead for Access Digital Tameside and the Digital Link Project tells us that they harness and enhance the IT skills of vulnerable and hard-to-reach individuals in weekly IT refurbishment workshops which provide an opportunity for participants to work together, to share their IT knowledge and improve their communications skills and prospects.

Sam also stated “in terms of funding, PCrefurb runs a number of grant funded projects across Tameside and Derbyshire. Funders include the National Lottery Community Fund, The Access Foundation, Edward Holt Trust and Rural Action Derbyshire”.

In recognition of their efforts to ‘fix the digital divide’ in 2022 PCrefurb were very proud to be awarded the Queen’s Award for Voluntary Service, the highest award given to voluntary groups in the UK.

Last year they provided 697 items of equipment. They also saved 198 tonnes of CO2e reusing equipment, equivalent to driving 99 petrol cars for one year or growing 9,868 trees for one year.

Helen Melhuish, Chief Officer, says the team at PCrefurb have set up digital training groups across Tameside and the High Peak where people can come and obtain support with a wide range of questions regarding any digital issues. She told us “We can also advise people how to stay safe online, support with digital banking, how to avoid scams, online shopping, job searching, form filling and much more”. During the past twelve months, the team have delivered over 2,232 hours of skills training.

Everyone who attended the Glossop session was really grateful for achieving new skills, giving them more confidence to access the internet.

If you’d like more information or to find your local digital support group in Tameside or the High Peak, visit https://pcrefurb.org.uk/training/