Timebank South West, along with the Wolseley Trust, are working together with Improving Lives Plymouth on the Age Positive Project. This has seen us make wider connections throughout Plymouth and gain access to more individuals who can benefit from Timebanking. With this aspect of our work bringing us into contact with more individuas over 65, we have recognised the need for support with mobile devices and tablets etc. To help bridge the digital gap, Timebank members have been offering their time to share their skills and help others feel confident accessing the internet, downloading apps and contacting their GP etc. One of our more recent initiatives has seen Timebank members joining Anna from Improving Lives Plymouth in helping their service users with IT and Tech issues. Peter has created a wonderful ‘Computers don’t have to be scary’ session, where attendees can ask any questions relating to their tech and know that they will be provided with an easy to digest answer. Other Timebank members often pop in when 1:1 support is required, giving the individual a space to ask more detailed and device-specific questions.
Timebank Tech support Phil says:
“I enjoy using my knowledge of IT to help people, it is rewarding when someone can send an email for the first time for example, or add an attachment to an email, or download a Bus App. For myself it gets me out and about and using my brain , I got involved because I didn’t want my knowledge to go to waste”.
“Since Covid 19, there has been a greater demand on the use of digital devices to access services, therefore for those who do not have access to this, their risk of isolation has greatly increased.
Teaming up with Timebank Southwest, our partner organisation with the Age Positive Project, we have been able to identify skilled volunteers who can provide free informal tech support. We have started running regular drop-in support sessions at our Mannamead Wellbeing Hub and will be offering more sessions across the city this autumn. Sessions are informal, free and accessible.
We hope these sessions will support more people to feel confident using tech devices, reduce social isolation and ensure our community stays connected”. Anna Fox, Wellbeing Hub Manager
Working together with Improving Lives Plymouth to provide tech support for their participants and service users has been really interesting. Help with mobile devices and lap tops is often requested throughout the Timebank membership and so we were pleased to be able to use the knowledge of our members to support others in the community.
Taking these sessions out into the areas we work in was a natural ‘next step’ and they were well received. So much so, we have been successful in securing funding from The Department For Science, Innovation And Technology as part of the Digital Inclusion Innovation Fund for the Better Connected project.
This project, lead by Improving Lives Plymouth, will see Timebank South West working alongside Borrow Don’t Buy & Age UK Plymouth to deliver I.T support across six different Wellbeing Hubs in the City.
We welcome support from Timebank members and non-members, so if you would like to share your I.T knowledge, please get in touch.
