Digital Champion Programme 2022-2026

Technology helps us stay connected in an increasingly digital world. Our Digital Champion Programme provides support for older people to improve their digital skills through trained volunteers, as well as providing loan technology for those without access.

What is the Digital Champion Programme?

The Digital Champion Programme aims to tackle digital exclusion by recruiting and training Digital Champion volunteers, who will support older people to improve their digital skills, as well as providing loan technology to those without access. As one of our largest digital inclusion programmes, we will be working with 40 Age UKs/Cymrus to support older people between 2022 and 2026. The programme will be delivered across 2 cohorts, each lasting 18 months.

The Digital Champion Programme combines four key services to address the common barriers to digital inclusion. Each Age UK/Cymru who is part of this programme will offer these services:

Programme outcomes

By 2026, the Digital Champion Programme will have:

• recruited and trained 480 volunteer Digital Champions
• delivered awareness-raising activities to 96,000 older people to inspire and motivate them to get online
• loaned technology to approximately 3,000 older people
• assisted 12,000 older people through digital skills sessions to improve their digital confidence and develop new digital skills.

The outcomes of the Digital Champion Programme are led by the need in the community, balancing both the needs of individuals and those delivering the service. The Digital Champion Programme aims to achieve the following outcomes, both for the older people engaging with the service and for the organisation.

1. Older people will feel more inspired and more motivated to get online.
2. Older people will develop digital skills and confidence and gain longer-term access to technology equipment.
3. Older people will feel less isolated and more socially connected.
4. Volunteer Digital Champions will benefit from increased confidence and skills.
5. Local Age UKs will be better equipped to provide a wide range of high-quality digital support to a greater number of older people.

The Digital Champion Programme model has been tried and tested by Age UK through our previous programmes One Digital, Think Digital, and Connected Age. With our new programme, we have further opportunities to:

• provide loan devices and connectivity to people who would otherwise not have access
• provide support over a longer period of time
• focus some of the delivery on reaching and supporting older people who are at a higher risk of digital exclusion.

Supporting the older people most in need in Cohort 1

The first phase of the Programme, Cohort 1, ran from June 2022 to November 2023.

We know that some older people are more at risk than others when it comes to digital exclusion, and therefore will focus some of our services on supporting those people most at risk. In addition to the 18 areas delivering to the general population of older people in Cohort 1, seven areas focussed their service on supporting a specific high-risk group to get online.

Whilst the core elements of the programme largely remain the same when working with these high-risk groups, adaptations will likely need to be made to the programme model to make sure it remains accessible and impactful for those most in need. The Digital Champion Programme high-risk services supported older people:

1. with dementia and/or memory loss
2. on low incomes
3. living alone
4. with mobility challenges
5. who are housebound.

Where is the programme being delivered next?

Cohort 2 will be starting in June 2024 and will be running in 15 new areas in England and Wales.

At the moment, we're in between service delivery to reflect on the learnings from Cohort 1 so that we can continue to develop and deliver the best possible service for older people. 

Please come back to this page in Spring 2024 for more updates on which locations will be included.

Past delivery areas

Cohort 1 ran from June 2022 to November 2023. The cohort was split into a general delivery group and a high-risk group.

Cohort 1 general delivery areas

• Age Cymru Dyfed 
• Age UK County Durham
• Age UK Devon 
• Age UK Gloucestershire 
• Age UK Hammersmith and Fulham 
• Age UK Herne Bay and Whitstable 
• Age UK Isle of Wight 
• Age UK Lambeth 
• Age UK Lancashire 
• Age UK Leicester Shire & Rutland 
• Age UK Lindsey 
• Age UK Milton Keynes 
• Age UK Norfolk 
• Age UK Nottingham & Nottinghamshire 
• Age UK Redbridge, Barking & Havering 
• Age UK Solihull
• Age UK Wakefield District 
• Age UK West Sussex, Brighton & Hove 

Cohort 1 high-risk delivery areas

• Age UK East London – Older people living on a low income 
• Age UK North Yorkshire & Darlington – Supported older people living on a low income 
• Age UK Oxfordshire – Older people living alone 
• Age UK Portsmouth – Older people living with mobility issues 
• Age UK South Gloucestershire – Older people who are housebound 
• Age UK Teesside – Older people living with Dementia and/or memory loss 
• Age UK Worcester & Malvern Hills – Older people living with Dementia and/or memory loss 

Evaluation and learning

The Digital Champion Programme is being formally evaluated.

This evaluation is taking advantage of a longer delivery period and focus on high-risk groups, as well as the general older population, and will take a deep dive into the:

• sustainability of the model beyond the funded period
• flexibility of the model, particularly supporting high-risk groups
• medium-term (6-12 months) impact that the programme has on the wellbeing and loneliness of older learners.

The evaluation and other learnings from this programme will be made available on this webpage.

Thank you to our supporters

Age UK would like to acknowledge and thank our donors for their wonderful support that makes the Digital Champion Programme possible. Thanks to their commitment and benevolence, thousands of older people across the country will benefit from the programme.

Age UK is delighted that a charitable foundation, who wishes to remain anonymous, has made a significant pledge of support which is allowing us to expand the programme across England and Wales.

We also want to thank Santander and Currys, whose support and generosity are also helping to inspire and give confidence to older people to get online.

If you are, or know someone who is, interested in supporting this programme then please contact corporate@ageuk.org.uk.

How can I get more information?

If you have any questions about this programme, please email servicesdigital@ageuk.org.uk.