Local residents are being encouraged to discover a free, friendly and practical Digital Tech Café that is helping people across Kenilworth feel more confident using technology.

The Digital Tech Café, launched by Compassionate Kenilworth and Cheylesmore Good Neighbours in November 2022, provides free, accessible one-to-one digital support for local residents, with a particular focus on older people who can find the rapid move towards online services challenging.

The café brings together local residents with trained University of Warwick student volunteers, who provide patient, tailored support with smartphones, apps, online services, communication tools and digital security.

More than 120 sessions have been delivered since the café launched, with typically up to 12 residents attending each weekly session.

Attendees are generally aged between 60 and 85 and come from Kenilworth and the surrounding area.

For many people, everyday tasks such as keeping in touch with family, managing apps or understanding a new smartphone can become increasingly difficult as more services move online.

The Digital Tech Café offers something different from simply providing instructions or online guides: residents receive individual, face-to-face help at their own pace.

Residents have received support with using WhatsApp, FaceTime and voice-to-text, as well as gaining confidence in using online statutory and banking services safely. Some have also been able to reduce costs by finding more suitable digital services and devices. The result is greater confidence, independence and connectivity.

The feedback from residents speaks for itself: "This digital tech cafe is very special & offers valuable help that I haven't been able to find elsewhere."

Another attendee described the café as "an absolute godsend", while others praised the volunteers for being friendly, patient and knowledgeable.

The café is about much more than technology.

Free refreshments, a welcoming environment and regular interaction with younger volunteers help create a social space where residents can meet people, build confidence and feel connected. The programme was established in response to increasing digital exclusion among older residents and aims to reduce social isolation as well as improve digital access.

It also creates valuable intergenerational connections within Kenilworth. University students share their digital knowledge, while residents bring decades of life and professional experience of their own. This creates opportunities for both generations to learn from one another and helps strengthen the wider community.

For the student volunteers, the experience develops communication, empathy, leadership and problem-solving skills while giving them a direct opportunity to contribute to the local community.

A community initiative worth discovering

The Digital Tech Café is delivered through partnership working involving Compassionate Kenilworth, Cheylesmore Good Neighbours, Warwick Volunteers, Kenilworth School & Sixth Form and the Kenilworth Centre, with support from a range of funders and donors including Kenilworth Lions and Kenilworth Rotary Club.

The programme has also received significant recognition, including King's Awards for Voluntary Service in 2024 and 2025 for organisations involved in the initiative.

The organisers are now keen to reach more Kenilworth residents who could benefit from the café, whether they are struggling with a particular piece of technology, want to feel safer online, or simply want some friendly help becoming more confident in the digital world.

The Digital Tech Café is free to access, welcoming and designed around the individual needs of each resident.

Local residents are encouraged to come along, find out what support is available and tell friends, neighbours and family members who might benefit.

Compassionate Kenilworth are working to develop workshops where Kenilworth residents who have found it difficult to access the NHS app can access one to one support to register and learn how to use the NHS services. This is in partnership with Abbey and Castle Medical Centre Patient Participation Group and the NHS Digital App Champions. Keep your eye out for dates of planned sessions.

For further information, interview requests or details of upcoming sessions, please contact Compassionate Kenilworth on 07831 552470 or [email protected]

Find out more online here: www.compassionatekenilworth.co.uk