A new digital cafe has opened in Burnham-On-Sea this week with the aim of helping residents get online and feel more confident using technology such as smartphones, tablets and laptops.
It’s based at The Waffle Hub in Burnham’s Methodist Church, where an opening ceremony was led by the town’s Mayor Cllr Lesley Millard on Wednesday (August 16th).
The new weekly cafe is open every Wednesday from 10am and is part of a wider project by Spark iT to build Somerset’s digital skills.
Cllr Millard said: “I am very pleased to welcome Spark iT to Burnham-On-Sea. I am conscious that so much of our lives now happens online and we have a large portion of our community who do not access things easily using IT. It is essential that we offer support and guidance to help upskill everyone to be able to access the information they need.”
“The Waffle Hub also provide an essential support to all our residents. They will be looking to increase their resources to enable those without computers to access support. I would like to thank Liz, Caroline and Rob for all their efforts to help our residents. They are doing an amazing job.”
Liz Bennett, who runs the community cafe, adds: “It was lovely to see people coming to visit The Waffle Hub to get advice and support from Digital Champions about getting online and using technology.”
“The people who attended faced a variety of barriers that prevented them from using the internet and we were happy to see those barriers to access being removed by the team from Spark iT over the course of the drop in session.”
“We’ll be hosting the free digital support service every week on Wednesdays between 10am and midday so those who couldn’t make it to our first event don’t have to worry about missing out, there will be someone here weekly ready to help with any and all questions about using technology and the internet.”
“Anyone who attends our Digital Cafe will have access to free WiFi and can bring their own phone, tablet or laptop or make use of one of the tablets provided. We invite people to come along with their queries and see how the team from Spark iT can help.”
The Waffle Hub will be running its Digital Cafe every week as part of Spark iT, a Spark Somerset project focused on improving digital access and inclusion across Somerset.
Melissa Lewis, Digital Inclusion Area Coordinator for Spark Somerset, says: “It’s great to add Burnham-on-Sea to the growing list of towns hosting a Digital Cafe.”
“We hope that as the project continues to grow we can reduce the distance that Somerset residents are from services that offer advice and guidance with technology and the internet, as we know that travel can be a barrier to accessing support.”
“We can offer advice on everything from setting up a new phone, tablet or laptop to filling out online forms and getting to grips with the NHS App and more. Our Digital Cafe is free to attend and there’s no need to book ahead so we’d really like to encourage people to come along and ask us questions!”
The Spark iT project has already helped more than 2,000 people across Somerset to improve their digital skills and works with local and national partners to provide data and devices to those in need.
The Spark iT digital café network now has 18 venues, with 95 per cent of Somerset residents having a digital café within 10 miles of their home.
For more information about the wide range of Spark iT services and new digital café locations, visit www.sparksomerset.org.uk/spark-it or telephone 01458 550977.
Pictured: (L-R) Spark Somerset Digital Inclusion Area Coordinator Melissa Lewis, Burnham Baptist Church Minister Reverend Robert Howlett, Mayor Cllr Lesley Millard & Liz Bennett, who runs the Waffle Hub, at the new Digital Cafe
