• INtouch kirklees now available on mobile phones
• INtouch now free to use on Sky
• INtouch kirklees now available on Sky Digital
• Free keyboards sent to more households
• Reading project award
• The National Digital Television project
• INtouch project final evaluation survey results

INtouch kirklees now available on mobile phones

• Either:
  text 'mobile' to 0780 000 2221 and we'll send you the link
• Or:
  enter http://www.intouchkirklees.mobi/

INtouch doesn't make any charge for this service, although if you usually pay to connect to the Internet, your network provider will charge you their standard rate.

INtouch now free to use on Sky

INtouch kirklees is now free to use on Sky. Previously, Sky subscribers had to pay a local call charge whilst using INtouch. We are pleased to say that there are no longer any call charges for our site, so Sky users can use all the services and information on INtouch at no extra cost.

INtouch is also free to use on Virgin Media (previously ntl and Telewest) and Netgem.

INtouch kirklees now available on Sky Digital

We have launched a new version of the INtouch site on Sky digital, Netgem and Virgin Media (formerly ntl and Telewest). Making the site available to Sky users has been especially valuable as it means that an extra 140,000 local people can now use INtouch kirklees.

How to view INtouch kirklees on Sky digital

Free keyboards sent to more households

Neighbourhood Renewal funding has helped INtouch to provide ntl keyboards and information packs for an extra 1,300 local residents.

The keyboards make it easier for people to use the interactive services which are available on the INtouch site, such as email forms. People will also be able to contribute to the renewal area themes (such as health issues, learning and jobs, families and children, and so on), as well as take part in on-screen consultation and connect to area committees and neighbourhood forums.

The INtouch kirklees team will help residents to use the site and to take part in the development of their own neighbourhood guides. INtouch will also work with local groups producing their own content for the site.

Residents of four areas in Kirklees - Batley, Fartown, Newsome and Primrose Hill, and Thornhill - will benefit from this project.

The funding has also helped INtouch to gather information which is relevant to these four areas and share this information on the INtouch site.

The Neighbourhood Renewal project in Kirklees is part of a much larger national government plan. It is about making sure that we all receive the same standard of public services (education, health, housing, an so on), no matter where we live. The money will be used in local areas to improve community life in the places that need it most.

Reading project award

The INtouch team would like to say congratulations to Carol Lawrence from Newsome who has been awarded a Reading Families grant by the Campaign for Learning. Carol, who was one of our community consultants during the INtouch pilot project, will use the grant to develop her interactive Reading Circle on INtouch.

The Reading Circle will enable local people to share their comments and experiences directly through their TV - so you don't have to be able to travel in order to join in. There is a reading selection each month for readers to comment about, but you can also send in your thoughts about anything to do with reading at any time, and Carol will publish them on INtouch.

The Campaign for Learning have funded over 400 projects during the past three years, with the aim encouraging more families to read.

Carol also hopes to work with local libraries and reading groups during the next six months, gathering material for the Reading Circle from anyone who wishes to contribute.

For more information please email reading.circle@kirklees.gov.uk or visit the INtouch Reading Circle web site.

The National Digital Television project

DigiTV is the national project looking into digital interactive television (DiTV) on behalf of local authorities. The project is sponsored by the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister (ODPM) and is led by Kirklees Council in partnership with local authorities who have undertaken DiTV projects. The national project will help local authorities to trial their own DiTV services.

You can find out more about the national DiTV project by visiting the DigiTV website.

INtouch project final evaluation survey results

The final independent evaluation report on the INtouch pilot project was published in August 2003. The evaluation was jointly undertaken by the University of Huddersfield and the University of Stirling. The report concluded that 'Digital television represents a significant platform for the delivery of electronic public services directly to citizens and service users' homes. The INtouch kirklees project has demonstrated the ability of DTV to reach socially excluded communities.'

The most important part about the research is that suggestions, ideas, problems and things that people wanted to see have been or are all being changed to give the user a better experience.

You can read a summary of the evaluation or view the full report (PDF 934KB).