A BIG blue bus is parked in Church Square this morning and a digtal hub has opened in the Hardshaw Centre as O2 launches its project to get more people to exploit their online potential.

St Helens has been chosen as the Digital Communities pilot to ensure people outside London share in the benefits of the growth in digital opportunities.

Research commissioned by O2 shows there will be 766,000 digital jobs created across the UK by 2020.

But it also suggests the benefits will predominantly be felt in London and the South East with just eight per cent of the jobs in the North West and East of England. The digital communities project will aim to tackle this.

There will be a number of activities over the coming months.

These include a digital makeover for businesses, a skills exchange which will match local businesses with young digital talent on their doorstep and a grant giveaway where young entrepreneurs will be given funding and mentoring to kick start their digital ideas.

A 'Community Hackathon', will equip St Helens youngsters with the skills to find solutions to community challenges from employment to the environment through the creation of apps.

There will also be more than 60 workshops including everything from careers clinics to social media surgeries.

Speaking ahead of the official launch at the new digital hub in the Hardshaw Centre, O2 business director Ben Dowd said: "We’re helping analogue businesses go digital, matching local companies with the digital talent on their doorstep, and supporting the council to offer more digital services, to create a blueprint for other communities up and down the country.

"We’re working towards a more digital Britain, where the entire nation can feel the benefits of the UK’s growing digital economy and we’re starting in St Helens.”

St Helens Council Leader Barrie Grunewald said: “Raising our digital profile will not only boost our commercial and employment prospects, but help to connect our communities and deal with issues like social isolation.

“This is a tremendously exciting project that will hopefully whet the appetite for greater involvement with technology among our young people, older people, businesses, agencies and other institutions. There are plenty of opportunities and I would urge everyone to embrace them.”

Find out more about the events in the O2 Digital Hub at connect.o2.co.uk/HelloStHelens

To apply for a role through the Digital Skills Exchange visit connect.o2.co.uk/HelloStHelens_Skillexchange.