David's Story: Meeting people where they are

The real cost of being offline

For many in Middlesbrough, the barriers to the digital world are deeply financial. The cost of connectivity is so high that some residents struggle to afford the bus fares to reach support, despite local fare caps.

Beyond affordability, fear and digital literacy remain massive hurdles.

"We often find when we have a child coming in with mom and dad or grandparents, the actual uptake of IT is much higher because they've got some encouragement from a much younger audience," David explains. Without that family nudge, many are terrified of making mistakes. "A lot of people are very fearful of using a PC—particularly when they’re entering their own personal data."

Support in the moment

To combat this, every library and community hub in the town now provides free access to public PCs and high-speed Wi-Fi, unlocked simply with a library card. Over the last couple of years, David has watched demand skyrocket.

Residents aren’t looking to sit exams; they need immediate, practical help to navigate life's essentials. Visitors flood the hubs to manage utility bills, apply for Universal Credit, research ancestry, or access online banking. Recently, staff have spent significant time helping people install and understand the NHS app on their personal devices.

"The majority of our customers don't want a qualification," David notes. "They just want support to help their problem at the time and upskill their knowledge."

A blueprint for the future

Several Middlesbrough venues belong to the National Digital Inclusion Network, utilising the Learn My Way platform to deliver free skills training. However, the ecosystem is fragile. The recent partial closure of the Hope Foundation, a key hub for distributing free SIM cards via the National Databank, highlights the vulnerability of grassroots support.

David believes the solution lies in building a permanent, high-speed infrastructure. His vision? A robust network of "Gigabit venues" anchored by the town's libraries to ensure fast, reliable internet is always within walking distance.

For David, it’s time for a nationwide shift in how these spaces are valued.

"Digital literacy is an integral part of our offer and it should be funded," he insists. "The government should recognise the important work that libraries and community hub venues do at a grassroots level on a daily basis."