Stockport DigiFest, run by Stockport Council in the town centre on Saturday 18th February, has proved a roaring success.
More than 800 people poured into Central Library and the Hat Works Museum – mostly families keen to try the free activities on offer at this special half-term event.
At Central Library, ‘The Glass Work ‘ digital art installation drew a crowd tweeting their photos which were magically turned into tunes and chimed out from the glass gongs.
Budding developers enjoyed free coding lessons and a variety of hands-on interactive activities. Future game designers learnt about Minecraft Coding with Stockport Coderdojo, Code-up Stockport and Manchester Coderdojo.
Visitors were also able to learn more about getting online, staying safe online and using their own devices with many bringing in their own computers, tablets and smartphones for help at the Digi Drop-in, where staff and talented students from Stockport schools and local businesses were available to help.
The focus at the Hat Works was on ‘Make stuff’ with Madlab and Manchester Girl Geeks running tech workshops for all ages, from creating art-making robots and DIY touch-screen gloves, to learning to solder, printing mini mascots on the 3D printer and designing game characters.
Councillor Dean Fitzpatrick, Stockport Council’s Executive Member for Education, said: “Children are fascinated by making things and learning unusual skills. If we can interest them in digital technologies now, by teaching them fun skills such as creating electronic badges or coding for games, we can open up their minds to a whole world of future opportunities. Who knows what the children we inspire today have the potential to create? Events such as this are incredibly important to develop our local talent and build Stockport’s skills base for the future.”
Stockport DigiFest was organised to celebrate the launch of Stockport Council’s new website and online services and to encourage residents who aren’t using digital yet. It is one of a series of events and roadshows offering fun digital activities and learning opportunities across the Borough.