Digital Unite is running its twelfth annual ‘Spring Online’ campaign during April to help housing providers extend their plans for digital inclusion among tenants. In 2012, more than 2,000 Spring Online events helped 30,000 people to get online.
More than 100 housing providers took part in the 2012 campaign; the winner of the best event award was Halton Housing Trust, which involved pupils from local primary schools to show the ‘grown ups’ how to send emails to the Queen. Runners up Home Group used the campaign to kick-start its digital inclusion work by running taster events for tenants across the country, while Wigan and Leigh Housing ran Spring Online sessions on a mobile bus parked at supermarkets, on local estates and in town centres.
Spring Online events are free to run and are supported by lots of ideas, advice and marketing materials at www.digitalunite.com/spring-online. In addition, Digital Unite has a number of £100 grants to support housing providers’ digital inclusion work, awarded on a first come, first served basis.
Michelle Phillips, customer involvement officer, Halton Housing Trust, said, “Getting involved with Spring Online has been great as it gives us a tangible hook for delivering our digital inclusion activities and because it’s a national campaign, we receive lots of tips, advice and support to help with running our events.”
