The week-long campaign, supported by The Good Things Foundation, aims to improve the digital knowledge of people who would otherwise be digitally or socially excluded. There are 4.1 million people in the UK with no access to the internet and 11.9 million people with low digital skills – with so much of our lives taking place online, from banking to shopping and even socialising, it is easy to see how this can cause problems for many.

Support during Get Online Week, and beyond, is available locally through The Water Lily Project, a charity based in Christchurch. Two levels of free support are available – one to one sessions at the charity’s community café in Barrack Road every Wednesday from 10.15am until 1.45pm, or over the phone for the duration of Get Online Week.

Manager of The Water Lily Project, Liz Carter, said, “COVID has left us with a world that presumes people are computer literate and has forced us all to rely on computers even more for the basic things in life. Many people are not computer savvy so finding a job or even just banking online can be an enormous challenge for them.”

Colin Bennett, Water Lily Project IT Manager, said, “Most people do have a mobile phone or land-line so we are offering people who don’t feel comfortable coming into the computer suite to chat through their digital dilemmas over the phone.

“Whether it’s an online application you need help with, maybe you want to get to grips with Google or familiar with Facebook or learn to send an email, these sessions can help get you up to speed. Our aim is to support people of all ages to feel confident about getting online.”

Sessions must be booked in advance due to COVID guidelines and social distancing rules. To book, call 01202 246763 (answerphone available out of hours) or, if you have access to email, contact it@waterlilyproject.org.uk