A new council map shows where to get help getting online

If you, or someone you know, struggles with a phone, a laptop or an online form, there is now one place to look for help. For Get Online Week, the Labour-run council has published an updated directory of digital support in Brighton & Hove, a new interactive map of services and a printable guide.

The list brings together drop-ins, one-to-one help and courses run by local organisations and community groups. All activities are free unless stated.

Weekly drop-ins run from Monday to Friday. On Tuesdays the Hangleton and Knoll Project runs a drop-in at St Richard’s Church and Community Centre on Egmont Road, 10am to midday, covering email, form-filling and the NHS App. On Thursdays, Albion Life holds IT for Everyone at its community hub on Albion Hill from 2pm to 5pm. Use code 100 on the entry phone. On Fridays the Vallance Computer Club meets at Conway Court on Sackville Road, 2pm to 4pm, with tea and cake. Its listing says “Computers are fun, not frightening.”

In libraries, Library Connect volunteers give one-to-one help on library PCs or your own device. They are at Jubilee Library on Mondays, Tuesdays and Thursdays, Hove Library on Wednesdays, Rottingdean Library on Mondays and Saltdean Library on Fridays. All libraries have free Wi-Fi that anyone can use, and library members can use the computers free for up to an hour a day.

Several GP practices, including Preston Park Surgery and the Haven Practice, have a Digital Ambassador Service to help patients set up and use the NHS App.

Councillor Jacob Allen, the cabinet member for customer services, said: “We know that not everyone has had the same opportunities to get online, and for some people technology can feel overwhelming or out of reach.”

The catch is that many listings give no times and ask you to contact the provider. Information on free internet access points and help getting a device is promised but not there yet.

Get Online Week, organised by the charity Good Things Foundation⁵, runs until Sunday 25 October. Library volunteer roles include IT Connect volunteer. The council lists its library volunteer opportunities on the Brighton and Hove Community Works website.