WIREDGOV

The nation's third Get online day takes place today, and Barnsley is at the centre of festivities across the country.

As part of the Totally Online Barnsley campaign, the town will officially launch Get online day and play host to the flagship event split across two UK online centre venues - Royston Community Learning Centre in the morning, and Barnsley Central Library in the afternoon.

They'll be leading the way for more than 750 other Get online day events taking place at UK online centres nation-wide.

The aim of the day is to encourage thousands of off-line people to be a part of IT, and take their first steps onto the internet. For those already online, Get online day is a chance to find out more about how the internet can save them time, hassle and money - and a chance to pass IT on to other people they think could benefit from online life.

Kicking off proceedings in Barnsley today is special guest and new Champion for Digital Inclusion Martha Lane Fox. She says: "In the UK one in every four people still don't use computers and the internet. Unfortunately it's the people facing the toughest times who could actually benefit the most from what technology has to offer - from saving money to finding information that could make their lives easier. Get online day is a great way for off-line people to take the plunge and get started, and I'm really excited to be here in Barnsley to support the campaign.

"Barnsley itself is a fantastic example of how communities can benefit from being online and I've been looking forward to meeting some of the local people who are already taking advantage of technology. There are some really inspirational stories here, which just reaffirm to me that computers and the internet really can help people help themselves to new opportunities. I hope that Get online day 2009 inspires other people to follow in their footsteps."

Also attending the day are Councillor Tim Cheetham and Barnsley Chief Executive Phil Coppard, plus Helen Milner, Managing Director of UK online centres, the organisation behind Get online day. Both Phil and Helen are members of Martha's expert Digital Inclusion Taskforce, supporting her work as champion.

Phil Coppard said: "It's great to have Martha here in Barnsley, and to make the town the focus of national efforts to get everyone everywhere enjoying what new technologies have to offer. We've set ourselves the ambitious target of getting everyone in the borough online by the time of the 2012 Olympics. Get online day will help us in that, and will help us make Barnsley the digital capital of the UK. I encourage everyone to get involved, and make Friday 23 October a day to remember!"

Helen Milner concluded: "Last year, 12,000 people took part in Get online day. This year we want to reach even more people in even more places, and we want Barnsley to lead the way! Events will continue throughout October, so it's still not too late to take part. If you've never touched a computer before, Get online day could be just the excuse you need. You'll get loads of support, and with our new game show-style taster you'll get a flavour of what you could do on the internet, and what the internet could do for you. If you're already into computers, Get online day is a chance to help someone else get online! You can find your nearest event or your nearest UK online centre by visiting www.ukonlinecentres.com, or calling 0800 77 1234."