About Digital Kent
Digital Kent was set up by Kent County Council in 2021 and is part of the Helping Hands scheme which was announced by Roger Gough, Leader of the Council, in February 2021. The scheme was allocated £10m, of which £2.5m was distributed to tackling digital exclusion in the county. A further £2.5m was allocated from the Contain Outbreak Management Fund (COMF) in June 2021.
In 2022 and 2023, Digital Kent was successful in securing additional funding from a variety of sources, such as NHS Kent & Medway and European Structural Investment Fund. All of our projects and schemes cover the Kent County Council area, with some including Medway. We endeavour to make this clear for each project.
The Digital Kent service has been created as a response to the COVID-19 (Coronavirus) pandemic. The support and services that Digital Kent offers are time-limited, due to the nature of the funding available.
Our entire team is dedicated to and passionate about levelling-up the county, where everyone can benefit from being digitally included and capable. You can find more about our team members below.
Sam joined Kent County Council in June 2021. He is the Digital Lead for Digital Inclusion & Capabilities within the Financial Hardship programme. Sam heads up the Digital Kent team.
Sam has a breadth of experience, from working in the further education and general education sector to working in the private retail sector. Most recently, Sam was the Digital & Communications Lead for the School Improvement and Skills & Employability service at The Education People, where he supported the wider team in developing the digital platforms and communications.
Chloe joined the Digital Kent team in November 2021 originally as our Engagement & Skills Manager, leading a team of Engagement Officers as part of the 12-month Engagement & Skills project. As we move into our second phase of our workstream, Chloe became our Relationships & Inclusion Manager and Deputy Lead.
Chloe has been in the careers education and skills sector for over a decade and has a wealth of experience and knowledge in delivering large scale skills programmes within the education settings in both London and Kent. She is a level 6 qualified Careers Advisor and has a passion for learning and development. Chloe leads on all training for our service as well projects that involve Equality, Diversity and Inclusion.
Chris joined the Digital Kent team in November 2021 as our Engagement Officer for West Kent. From November 2022, Chris has been promoted to Operational Manager, overseeing the delivery of established projects and schemes being delivered by Digital Kent and wider Financial Hardship programme work within Kent County Council.
Chris has a wealth of experience and knowledge, working in the private and third sector, before joining Chris worked for a Kent-based Charity as Operations Manager.
Alexandra joined the Digital Kent team in September 2021 as one of two Project Officers. In November 2022, Alex was promoted as our Senior Project Officer.
Alexandra’s focus in her new role is on project governance and reporting. Additionally, she is working on project development in cooperation with the Project Manager and the Project Officers. She has a wide-ranging background in office and business management, digital, research, marketing, and events from her work at a boutique career strategist company. Alexandra joined us from the support team of Kent Enablement at Home.
Hannah joined the Digital Kent team in January 2022 as one of two Project Officers, with a focus on hardware access.
Hannah joins us from the Railway Industry Association and is leading on the COVID-19 Hardware Access Scheme, Hardware Recycling Scheme and various other projects and schemes relating to hardware access.
W
illiam joined the Digital Kent team in June 2022 as our Operational Support Coordinator. William, in December 2022, was promoted to Project Officer.
William joins Kent County Council's Digital Kent from COMcheck. William supports the Project Officers with a focus on Hardware and Connectivity Access and Device Recycling.
Jake joined the Digital Kent team in November 2021 as our Engagement Officer initially covering Canterbury and Swale before moving over to cover North Kent. In November 2022, Jake became one of three Area Partnership Officers covering West & Mid Kent, which includes Maidstone, Sevenoaks, Tonbridge & Malling and Tunbridge Wells districts focusing on managing digital inclusion projects and relationships within each district.
Jake joined Kent County Council in 2013 initially under the apprenticeship programme and has been involved in many different projects and teams, including Public Health, Economic Development and more recently Jake was working within the Kent Broadband team as a Project Officer. Jake brings a wide range of skills and local government experience as well as extensive knowledge in all aspects of Digital.
Sophie joined the Digital Kent team in February 2022 as our Engagement Officer. In November 2022, Sophie became one of three Area Partnerships Officers covering North & East Kent, including Canterbury, Dartford, Gravesham and Swale districts.
Sophie has a strong customer service and IT background and joins us from Optivo, where she was Service Desk Incident Support.
Doris joined the Digital Kent team in November 2021 as our Engagement Officer. In November 2022, Doris became one of three Area Partnerships Officers covering South & East Kent, including Ashford, Dover, Folkestone & Hythe and Thanet districts.
Doris joined Kent County Council around 6 years ago within the Library, Registration and Archives division and was the Deputy Registrar for Ashford. She joined the Digital Kent team to explore working more within communities, build meaningful local partnerships and work towards causing positive change.
Bryony joined the Digital Kent team in March 2022 as an Operational Support Coordinator, and transitioned to become Digital Kent’s Volunteer Engagement Officer in December 2022. They are responsible for the county-wide Digital Champions Network, one of the largest volunteer networks of digital champions in the country.
Bryony oversees the coordination and management of the network and its volunteering opportunities, working closely with the wider team to support further digital inclusion projects across Kent. They have a wide range of customer service experience, developed over seven years from their previous role as Practice Manager for an Osteopathic Practice.
Connect with Bryony on LinkedIn
Brooke joined the Digital Kent team in January 2023 as our Operational Support Coordinator. Brooke supports the established projects and schemes delivered by Digital Kent and the wider Financial Hardship Programme (including Household Support Fund).
Rachel joined the Digital Kent team in January 2023 as our Operational Support Coordinator. Rachel supports the established projects and schemes delivered by Digital Kent and the wider Financial Hardship Programme.
Robyn joined the Digital Kent team in March 2023 as our Operational Support Coordinator. Robyn supports established projects and schemes delivered by Digital Kent and the wider Financial Hardship Programme.
Michela joined the Digital Kent team in February 2023 as our Operational Support Coordinator. Michela supports established projects and schemes delivered by Digital Kent and the wider Financial Hardship Programme.
Lydia joined the Digital Kent team in February 2023 as our Operational Support Assistant. Lydia supports established projects and schemes delivered by Digital Kent and the wider Financial Hardship Programme.
Millie joined the Digital Kent team in January 2023 as our Operational Support Assistant (Apprentice). Millie supports established projects and schemes delivered by Digital Kent and the wider Financial Hardship Programme.
Millie is currently studying towards a Level 3 Business Administrator apprenticeship and previously worked for The Education People as their Employability Apprentice.
