The Test Valley charity, Unity is celebrating this week with the news that they have been successful in securing £179,840 over three years from The National Lottery to provide digital literacy projects for communities across Test Valley.
Their digital literacy work goes back to the beginning of the pandemic when they started helping to improve the digital skills of vulnerable people many of whom relied on community groups for much of their daily support.
A digital expert was employed by Unity and volunteers recruited, veterans offering the IT skills learned during their time in the military and people who had either lost their jobs or were on furlough during the pandemic. With the help of these volunteers, Unity tested the idea of enabling vulnerable people to develop confidence in their use of technology. This was well received, and the charity is now planning to scale up to offer services through the borough.
Terry Bishop, Unity Chief Executive said, “We would like to thank The National Lottery players for granting this funding. With technology taking over all our lives, we know that there are people across the community who may need help to build the confidence to use it, perhaps to shop online or even complete an online form.
“This money will help us to extend our reach across the length and breadth of Test Valley so that we can help individuals and local organisations to learn new skills.”
Various community initiatives will be devised throughout the three-year funding term, and these will be offered through Unity’s website and social media platforms.
If you are interested in finding out how Unity could help you, your charity or community group, or if you think you might like to volunteer, please contact us through the website www.unityonline.org.uk or call 0330 4004 116.
