Diary » Blog
February 26th
Inspiration for when meetings seem long and hard!
Lovely email from Brenda Banks about the importance of Digital Inclusion:
I am 78 and look after my husband who has dementia without much help so it is a 24 hour a day process. For Christmas our family bought me a little netbook plus a dongle –and gave me 2 days of instruction. I have not used a computer before but now I honestly find that it has truly made a difference to my life. I cannot yet send photographs or do printing but I am in touch with the world. I can look up dementia, and find out your email address. It may sound silly to you but I do feel empowered. I now email the experts locally to tell them what carers and the cared for need.
November 27th
Read MLF’s more personal thoughts about her role
It is now five months since I took up the challenge of championing ‘the use of technology to improve the life chances of those people who are most disadvantaged’ in our country.
One of my first aims was to get the issue out into the wider public while making sure I kept true to exactly what I had been asked to do. Contrary to some commentators, I was not asked to ‘deliver digital Britain’ or ‘ensure the take up of broadband’. I was asked to look at how government, the private sector and the charitable sector can work together to try and prevent the digital divide becoming any more of a gaping chasm than it is already. And most crucially to keep a relentless focus on the most economically disadvantaged.
From the start, I have been hyperconscious that I am the person least like my target group. I come from a privileged background with all the opportunities you could wish for in my life. I have no particular traction with the people I had been asked to help and for some must therefore have been a strange choice. I decided early on not to worry about this and just try to do the best job possible – and to get out and about meeting people very quickly.
It has been inspiring and humbling to visit some of the amazing projects working hard to spread the use of technology. Occasionally wonder I how many of the digital inclusion pundits have actually talked to people who have had transformative experiences with technology as you learn so much from each story and it seems to me to make the solutions fairly simple. I am lucky enough to have been to about 15 different places and met a huge mixture of people from all ages, and with many complex sets of problems. What has been heartening is that while technology is no panacea it can have an incredible impact in people’s lives.
Two stories stick with me – Mil Lusk in Knowle West, Bristol and Nick Blacker in Leeds. Mil is a fantastic Bristol community environmentalist Green Footprints. A single mother of two who has developed and managed a social enterprise through a gardening website with skills learnt by attending a digital workshop. Meanwhile Nick was in and out of care and prison, and then he started learning music on a PC. He goes to the Leeds Central Library every day, a UK Online Centre and is now training others whilst doing a teaching qualification.
There have been four main areas of focus for me over the last few months – building a team and network of advisors, building the economic case for digital inclusion, raising awareness in Westminster and beyond and developing our detailed action plan for the next crucial year.
PWC did a piece of work pinning down the numbers for my office. They showed that there are 10m people who have never used the web and 4m who fall into the lowest socio-economic group. Of those 4m 39% are over 65, 38% are unemployed and 19% are families with children.
I believe there is a social and moral imperative to help each of those groups online but PWC showed there is an economic case too. You can read about it here
When I took this role I thought I might have to invent new ideas or solutions but actually everything is happening already whether it is the UK online centre network or the home access programme or the DC10 initiative or one of the countless charities working in the area. I think that we just need more co-ordination, some more noise and an amplification of effort.
It has been an extraordinary ride as I become used to the highs and lows of doing a more public facing role – and I have to confess I have sometimes felt like shouting at my computer ‘this is hard and its taking up six days a week and I have another job and I am not a politician and and and and’ but then I think about Mil and Nick and all of my other new friends on facebook and my resolve is strengthened.
October 14th
The Economic Case for Digital Inclusion
When I started work with the Digital Inclusion Task Force in June, we were all united by what we believed was the strong moral imperative to make sure the digital divide did not grow any wider in the UK. This report reflects the other part of the imperative, a strong economic case for both the individual and the UK economy as a whole. This work pulls together some new numbers and takes a fresh look at the complex issue of digital inclusion with a highlight on consumer savings, education, skills and employment, health and well-being, and benefits to government. I thank PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP and look forward to working with the public, private and charitable sectors in attempting to reduce the numbers of people who have never used the internet.
- To view full report click here
Diary » Stream
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March 8th »
LCR Interview
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March 8th »
ITV Interview
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March 8th »
Internet access is 'a fundamental right'
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March 8th »
DICE 2010: "Design Outside the Box" Presentation
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March 8th »
Kevin Kelly tells technology's epic story
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March 4th »
Capgemini Women's Leadership Event
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March 3rd »
Digital Inclusion visit to Birmingham
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March 2nd »
Race Online 2012 People's Taskforce Event
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February 25th »
EMAP Media Summit
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February 25th »
Local Government Chronicle interview
Online services will make savings
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February 22nd »
Panel Discussion at Network for the Post-Bureaucratic Age
The event explores current trends in social, political and technological change, and what this means for a new government. We have an array of first-class speakers and panelists, including David Cameron, the leader of the Conservative Party, together with entrepreneurs and innovators from business, media, public services, campaigning, and government.
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February 18th »
Judging Day for Veuve Cliquot Woman of the Year Awards
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February 17th »
Guest interviewee at British Screen Advisory Council interview
BSAC is an independent forum for the audiovisual industries, whose Members comprise senior executives from TV, film and new media businesses. BSAC has two prime purposes: To serve as a forum to stimulate discussion and debate at senior level about the audiovisual businesses it represents and to provide advice to the UK Government and European Commission on policies for the audiovisual industries.
The Interview Series has become well known in the industry for providing an opportunity to get a personal perspective from interesting people who connected with the audiovisual business. Guest interviewees have included Gerhard Zieler (RTL), Greg Dyke (BFI Chairman and Chair of the Conservative Creative Industries Review), and Niklas Zennström (the inventor and cofounder of KaZaA and Skype technologies).
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February 16th »
Digital Inclusion presentation to the Olympiad Board
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February 10th »
Third Sector interview
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February 3rd »
Citizens Advice Social Policy Conference
Took part in a panel debate.
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February 2nd »
Help the Aged Internet Champion Ceremony
Presented the awards.
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January 28th »
Race Online 2012 Forum on Accessibility & Usability
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January 28th »
Government I.T. Conference
Speaking about Digital Inclusion
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January 21st »
RIM & Local Government Dinner, Slough
to discuss digital inclusion with heads of local councils
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January 21st »
Age Concern & Help the Aged Internet Champion of the Year Judging
Age Concern and Help the Aged is running its first inaugural UK-wide search for an inpsiring older person to work with the Charity as the Internet Champion of the Year and to help support the Race Online Campaign.
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December 7th »
Smarter Government Launch
Gordon Brown announces “Putting the Frontline First”
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December 2nd »
JODI Awards
Presented at these awards celebrating best use of technology in bringing arts and culture to the disabled
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December 2nd »
NALC Larger Councils Conference
Talk on ‘Digital Inclusion and Local Councils’
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December 1st »
Royal Geographical Society
21st Century Challenges – debate on the digital divide with Prof. Tanya Byron and Rory Cellan Jones
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November 25th »
Q&A & Fun
at Lucky Voice Brighton
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November 24th »
Talk Talk Digital Heroes
Awards ceremony, House of Lords
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November 23rd »
HSBC Start Up Stars Gala
Awards ceremony for Start Up Stars, Intercontinental Hotel
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November 19th »
e-learning Home Access Conference
presented Home Access Award
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November 19th »
10 years of Reprieve
Speech at ‘Alternative Endings’ Reprieve event
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November 17th »
Making public data public seminar
at 10 Downing Street
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November 17th »
Enternships Launch Party
Speech at the launch, Floridita, Wardour Street
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November 11th »
Leighton on Leadership
Speaking at gala dinner in aid of Breast Cancer
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November 11th »
BBC2 Digital Revolution
Interviewed for BBC2 documentary covering history of the web and the digital divide
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November 10th »
Presenting RTS Innovation Awards
At Bafta, alongside Brent Hoberman
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November 4th »
Judging panel sessions for HSBC Start Up Star Awards
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November 2nd »
Recorded interview for Defining the Decade, BBC Radio
Discussing impact of internet over last 10 years, presented by Ed Stourton
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October 23rd »
UK Online, Get Online Day, Barnsley
Visited 2 UK Online Centres in Barnsley
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October 22nd »
Leeds Central Library
Visited this UK Online Centre
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October 21st »
COI - Central Office of Information
Internal speech about digital inclusion
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October 19th »
Nominet Trust Launch at Somerset House
Short speech alongside Jonathan Welfare, Nominet and Martyn Lewis, BBC
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October 16th »
BBC Online Access Forum
interviewed by Gavin Esler
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October 15th »
Parliament and Internet Conference
Speaker and panel-chair at conference, Houses of Parliament
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October 15th »
Ofcom Consortium Launch
Attending
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October 14th »
Raising Funds From The Rich
Speaker at conference in Central Hall, Westminster
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October 14th »
Guardian Technology 'Martha Lane Fox: Fixing holes in Britain's Net
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October 13th »
BBC Radio 4 Today Programme 7.15am
Guest discussing Digital Inclusion campaign
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October 12th »
BBC HardTalk
Guest on HardTalk discussing digital inclusion
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October 12th »
IVCA Awards Fellowship
Received fellowship award from the International Visual Communications Association. Awards for people ‘from all areas of the arts whose work has promoted aspiration, social inclusion, sustainable living or encouraged discussion on important issues’.
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October 6th »
Conservative Party Conference, Manchester
on NESTA and 2012 Public Service Trust panels
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October 6th »
Digital Engagement Conference, Church House, Westminster
Empowering Citizens & Government through Digital Innovation. Keynote speech.
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September 25th »
Daily Telegraph
Listed as one of 50 most influential people In Technology
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September 18th »
Mayor's Lunch, City Hall
For small group of influential people from business world.
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September 17th »
Digital Programme Board Meeting
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September 16th »
British Orthopaedic Annual Congress, Manchester
Gave the Howard Steel speech
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September 14th »
2nd Digital Inclusion Task Force Meeting
To discuss vision and progress
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September 12th »
Guest on Saturday Live
BBC Radio 4 FM, 9am Sat
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August 29th »
Leading Questions, BBC
Guest on Leading Questions with Robert Peston
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August 12th »
Visit to Lighthouse Project, Birmingham
An adult online education centre in Birmingham
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August 7th »
Can't Connect Won't Connect
Featured on this BBC Radio 4 programme
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July 31st »
Knowle West Media Centre, Bristol
Martha meets, amongst others, the inspiring Mil Lusk
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July 31st »
Bristol
Traveling to Bristol to see online centres in the area
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July 21st »
Daily Telegraph
More Digital Inclusion discussed in the Telegraph
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July 19th »
Sunday Times
Interview for Sunday Times discussing Digital Inclusion
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July 16th »
The Bottom Line
Guest on this show discussing business themes. Transmitted on BBC Radio 4, BBC World Service Radio, BBC News Channel (TV – formerly News 24), BBC World News Channel (TV). First broadcast on Radio 4 Thurs 16 July, 20:30.
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July 14th »
First Digital Inclusion Task Force Meeting
It’s getting under way….
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July 6th »
Reboot Britain
Gathering of digitally curious to find out future of online UK
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July 1st »
Human Face of Death Row Exhibition
Reprieve host an exhibition of portraits at the Oxo Tower on London’s Southbank from 1 July to 5 July 2009.
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July 1st »
Guardian Activate Summit
Day conference for leaders who think that technology and internet can make the world a better place.
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June 19th »
Brighton Lucky Voice Launches
Doors now open at the all new Lucky Voice in Brighton
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June 19th »
NHS Innovation Expo
This expo will bring together innovation from private, public, voluntary and commercial sectors.