Mildmay Community Centre will be open as usual Wednesday afternoon 25 January – but not for the Digital Drop-in.
Instead there will be an all-day Cost of Living event in the main hall – to which you are invited, of course. For more information, please visit page Cost of Living Event at The Mildmay.
50+ Digital is not involved in event arrangements, so there won’t be a normal digital drop-in — but the 50+ Data Bank will be open in the café area from 1:30 to 3 pm.
Sheena Adae-Amoakoh – owner of local hair stylist HausOfShee – brought friends Akela and Whitney to help at the Digital Drop-in, 11 January 2023. Photos by Elliot Jones – based at Point Two Studio.
These community-conscious young volunteers are local entrepreneurs. Your grandchildren might know them.
Tap or click on any photo in the gallery to see a larger version, or start a slide-show (if you are not quite sure how to do that, please ask a helper).
Catherine and Sheena
Tom and Gloria
Akela and Janice
James and Inna
Community Digital
Senior Citizen Patricia
Senior Citizen Daniel
Whitney, Data Bank SIM card, Walter
Elliot made a lot more photos. They are all very good, but we can’t publish them all here. However – if you are in one of Elliot’s photos, we will make sure you get a copy – in your email (you might need practice opening and saving photo attachments).
This session reminded us of the Pre-Pandemic Era, when we hosted more than 700 corporate volunteers via Benefacto from 2014 until COVID wrecked everything. Those volunteers were all really impressive – and made a huge, and memorable, impact.
We think employers (or HR departments) might be regaining confidence, though no enterprise has replaced Benefacto. But we are ready to help.
Update 18 January
We are sending the photos to you by email (because downloading and managing photos is a useful digital skill for you to learn).
Daniel liked his so much, he got it printed – apparently for less than £1.
Whitney and Walter at the Digital Drop-in – with a Data Bank SIM card
Free internet connectivity for eligible older people
Updated 26 September 2023
NB: we have allocated all the SIM cards provided by the National Databank.
Brief version of the deal
If you are surviving on a low income and you can’t afford your current internet connection, you are eligible for a free data plan and SIM card for your phone.
All you have to do is bring your unlocked phone to any Wednesday afternoon Digital Drop-in at Mildmay Community Centre.
The longer version is below …
Our databank for people aged 50 or better
Are you eligible for a free mobile data plan?
You should be living on a low income — and you need mobile data for internet connection — and you meet at least one of the following criteria …
You have no access or insufficient access to the internet at home,
or – you have no or insufficient access to the internet when away from home,
or – you cannot afford your existing monthly contract or top up.
You will need a phone that you already know how to use, or that you are learning to use on a course for older beginners.
Your phone should be unlocked (or compatible with the databank SIM card).
The free mobile data plans
O2 data
A plan with 20 GB mobile data, plus unlimited calls and text messages.
The plan will refresh when you respond to a monthly text message.
The plan will expire after six months, but can be renewed for a further six months if you need it.
Three data
A plan with 24 GB mobile data.
The 24 GB data is a total – it does not refresh monthly.
How does it work in practice?
If you are eligible …
A staff member or authorised volunteer will put the SIM card in your phone.
After you have signed for the SIM card, we will register it with the national databank and then activate it.
Our primary base will be the Wednesday afternoon drop-in at Mildmay Community Centre.
I have a long-term contract that I cannot afford. Am I eligible?
Not while you still have the long-term contract. Please check the termination fee before you consider cancellation.
However, O2 have indicated that they will consider individual cases where an O2 contract might be replaced by a databank O2 plan. We would contact O2 on your behalf.