Excitement over new digital centre in Bloxwich

Up to £3 million is being invested in transforming the old Post Office building based in Market Place into the Bloxwich Launchpad centre which will provide 300 metres of converted floorspace.

It is one of five projects under the Bloxwich Town Deal and has received Government Town Deal funding as part of the £25million in total that has been secured for Bloxwich.

Walsall Council purchased the building following the closure of the Post Office last year, which has since relocated to Tradeworld on Bloxwich High Street.

Initial works to the building are already underway while the main refurbishment, including extending the first floor will be carried out later this year.

It is hoped the work on Bloxwich Launchpad will be completed and ready for use early in 2025.

On the first floor, the incubation centre will be created featuring meeting rooms, printing room and craft space to house and support entrepreneurs create or grow their businesses.

And the ground floor will feature the digital access centre which will provide facilities for people to use the internet and learn IT skills.

Bosses said there is a large part of the Bloxwich population not equipped to access essential services which are predominantly online and this was one of the driving forces to create a hub in the town centre for people to easily use.

It is also hoped it will enable people to upskill and create more opportunities for them and businesses.

Walsall Council deputy leader Adrian Andrew said: “It’s an incredibly exciting project for Bloxwich to improve digital connectivity for local people.

“But also to create that incubation space for small businesses for people who want to set up on their own and to have that space and have that support importantly to make a success of it.

“There’s been lot of research done across Bloxwich as part of the Town’s Fund and it has emerged a lot of it isn’t well digitally connected. So it was important to make sure we introduce that for the people of Bloxwich.

“But also, having that space where they can set up their own businesses, the entrepreneurs, was really important to us.

“It is bang in the town centre which will improve footfall and services in the town centre, it’s a really good project.”

Bloxwich East ward councillor Gary Flint, who is also portfolio holder for Wellbeing, Leisure and Public Spaces, said: “It’s a fantastic new facility which offers something completely different for Bloxwich.

“It’s about building on those grassroots, small ceiling ideas and making them grow into hopefully bigger and better things for businesses and our communities as well.

“It’s a central space which people will hopefully get to know well and get to utilise from a digital savvy approach and hopefully gain better skills.

“It’ll fit in with some of the work as part of the Walsall Connected programme and part of the bigger Walsall 2040

“There’s a digital gap that’s out there. Even going to see the local doctor involves touch screens to log in. This is about stopping that fear and the scared approach people have towards digital.”