30 Years of Digital Change, Inclusion and Impact
Established 1996
Cosmic’s story began in 1996, when community and youth workers established the Centre for Ottery St Mary Internet Café, or COSMIC, to improve access to emerging digital technology in rural communities. The following year, Cosmic’s first internet café opened at The Station, providing public internet access, community workshops and drop-in support.
By 1998, Cosmic had appointed its first full-time staff and introduced apprenticeship opportunities, beginning a long-standing commitment to helping young people develop valuable digital skills.
This outreach approach developed further through The Space Shuttle, a mobile digital-access and training unit. The ORBIT Space Shuttle launched in 2001 and travelled across Devon and Somerset, providing access to technology and practical training for communities that might otherwise have struggled to participate in the emerging digital world. In 2002, Cosmic also opened the Ridgeway House Training Centre in Ottery St Mary, establishing a permanent base for learning and programme delivery.
Figures below represent minimum recorded totals from annual impact reports and exclude years where comparable data was not available.
Our impact in numbers
163 people employed
Since 1996, 163 people have been part of the Cosmic team, helping thousands of individuals, businesses and organisations build digital confidence and thrive in a connected world.
18 Apprentices
Supporting the next generation of digital talent, Cosmic has provided apprenticeship opportunities across digital skills, marketing, web, administration, training and technology roles.
Over 20,000 people supported
Through training, digital inclusion, employability and community programmes, Cosmic has helped over 20,000 people develop skills, confidence and opportunities to succeed.
100,000+ hours of support
From one-to-one guidance and technical support to training, mentoring and digital inclusion programmes, Cosmic has delivered more than 100,000 hours of support to people and organisations across the South West.
Best wishes from some of our key partners
Cosmic
- Inspirational
- Ethical
- Friendly
- Supportive
- Innovative
- Impact-driven
Join us down memory lane…
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Project Cosmic Founded
1996, Ottery St Mary
We became a registered organisation in January 1997 by Ian Clifford, David Glennie and Kerrie Ryan.
Internet Café Opens
“COSMIC” – Centre for Ottery St Mary’s Internet Café
Community workshops, drop-in sessions and public internet access facilities at The Station.
First Full-Time Staff & Apprenticeship
1998
Project: Sussed IT
Summer schools digital-skills programme touring Devon and Somerset.
Project: ORBIT takes lift off
2002-2005
Mobile digital-skills training service launched across Devon and Somerset.
Ridgeway House Opens
Permanent training and delivery centre established in Ottery St Mary.
Regional ICT Champion
2009
Cosmic recognised as South West Regional ICT Champion.
Project: Lively Leadership
Leadership development programme for social enterprises.
Consultancy service expands
2010
Social Enterprise Mark
2010
Cosmic becomes the first Social Enterprise Mark holder in the UK
Move to Honiton
2012
Relocation of organisational base to Honiton.
Project: Rural Connection
2013
Business mentoring and support in rural broadband intervention areas.
Project: Community Learning (NLDC)
2013
Digital learning for individuals and businesses, including social media, analytics and SEO.
Project: Connecting Devon & Somerset
2013
Community support for the regional broadband programme.
Project: Superfast Broadband for Business
2013
Helping growth businesses use broadband-enabled tools and services.
Digital Apprenticeship Pilot
Structured apprenticeship programme with mentoring and placements.
Project: Devon Digital Inclusion
2013-2015
Supporting individuals and communities to become digitally confident.
Award: National Digital Inclusion
2013
National recognition for Cosmic’s leadership in digital inclusion. We won BT’s Get IT Together Award, organised by AbiltyNet.
Project: Women in Technology
2014-2015
Supporting women into technology and digital careers.
Awards
2015
Big wins for CEO Julie Hawker. Social Enterprise Women’s Champion & Venus Devon Director of the Year
Project: Get Up To Speed
2015-2016
Digital skills and business support project completed.
Cosmic Schools Service Launch
2016
Service launched at the West of England ICT Conference.
20th Anniversary
2016
Cosmic Rebrand & Digital Transformation
2016
Organisation-wide rebrand alongside cloud-based systems and digitally enabled operations.
Project: Prince’s Countryside Fund
2016
Rural support and business resilience activity.
Shared CEO Structure
2016
Julie Hawker and Kate Doodson adopt a shared CEO model.
Project: Leading in the Digital Age (LIDA)
2016
Digital leadership development for housing organisations and senior leaders.
Project: European Social Fund & Positive People
2016
ESF-funded programmes begin delivery with Cosmic as digital lead.
Tech4Good & Community Contribution Awards
2017
National and regional awards recognising social impact and innovation.
Project: Digital Utilisation for Growth
2018
Tech Support service expands
2015
Project: Enhance Social Enterprise
2019
Digital leadership, marketing strategy and website development support.
Heart of the South West Digital Skills Partnership
CEO
Julie Hawker appointed Chair of the Heart of the South West Digital Skills Partnership.
Social Business Leaders of the Year
2019
Joint CEOs Julie Hawker and Kate Doodson recognised nationally.
Projects: Love Digital, EPIC, Digital Excellence & Digital Angels
2019
Portfolio of programmes supporting leadership, employability, business growth and women in enterprise.
Remote Working Advice Line & Covid Response
2020
Emergency digital support services launched during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Project: Retail Recovery Programme
2021
Business recovery support delivered across Devon and Somerset.
Project: Restart
2021
Cosmic secures the Restart Programme delivery contract for the South West.
Project: Future Farming Resilience
2021
Contract secured to support farming and land-based businesses.
Project: Digital Boost
2022
Digital marketing, Microsoft 365, websites and digital strategy support.
Projects: DESME, Velocity & Thrive Start and Grow
2022
Major portfolio of employability, business growth and digital capability programmes.
Digital Leadership for SMEs service starts
2022
Building digital confidence and leadership capability among SME leaders.
MBE for CEO Julie Hawker
2023
Recognition for services to the economy.
Good Things Foundation Trustee Role
2023
National digital inclusion leadership milestone for CEO Julie Hawker
FutureDotNow South West Roundtables
2023
Regional collaboration promoting essential workplace digital skills, securing partnership with major national consortia.
Workplace Digital Skills Programme
2024
Digital confidence, content creation, marketing and automation skills.
Project: Good Things Foundation Discovery
2024
Research and stakeholder engagement around digital inclusion in the WECA region.
Projects: Net Zero – EDCAP and Pathway to Net Zero (P2NZ)
2024-5
Sustainability and carbon reduction support funded through UKSPF activity.
Tech South West Women in Tech Finalist
2024
Artificial Intelligence Expansion
2024
AI becomes a major organisational focus across consultancy and training.
Project: Digital Skills Bootcamps
2025
Advanced AI, Power Platform and automation skills development.
Project: Prosper
2025
One-to-one digital business support.
Project: Somerset Digital Connect
2025
Place-based digital inclusion programme.
Cosmic Brand Refresh (again!)
2025
New website, refreshed branding and launch of Cosmic Connects and Cosmic Alumni learning events.
Social Value Impact Measurement
2025
Cosmic adopts formal social-value calculations using the TOMs and FutureDotNow’s Ripple Effect framework.
Over £6million of Social value generated.
ERSA Digital Solution Awards Finalist
2024
National recognition within the employability and skills sector.
Skills for Growth Framework
2025
Appointed to Devon’s Skills for Growth Framework as a trusted supplier.
Doubling employment outcomes through innovation
2026
With partners FutureDotNow, Seetec, Accenture and City & Guilds. Doubling employment outcomes for participants within 4 months, when aligning delivery to EDS framework and use of AI.
comments
Testimonials and well wishes
North Devon Plus has worked with Cosmic for a number of years, particularly through our consortium supporting businesses across Devon and Somerset. They’re a really great organisation to work with. Julie and the team are always incredibly supportive and collaborative and genuinely want to make a difference to the businesses and communities they work with. It’s been lovely working with them over the years, and I’d just like to say a huge congratulations to everyone at Cosmic on 30 years, amazing achievement!”
Louise Adam, Programme Delivery Manager, North Devon Plus
Congratulations on 30 years of making a difference. Over many of those years, our organisations have worked side by side, driven by a common purpose to support people, strengthen businesses and create positive change. Your achievements over the past three decades are truly worth celebrating. Thank you for being such a valued partner. We are proud to share in this milestone and look forward to building on our successful relationship in the years ahead. Here’s to the next chapter of your journey. From all at BIP.
Dee Gill, Chief Executive, Business Information Point
From an early Dorset digital inclusion conference to the recent Weymouth digital skills hub, Cosmic has supported and inspired Dorset’s digital inclusion journey over more than a decade with generosity and good humour. Thank you so much for it all.
Penny Syddall, Program Manager, Dorset Council
I partnered with Cosmic when I was Director of Transformation at Raven Housing Trust, and they made a real difference to how confidently our colleagues used technology. Their sessions on getting the most out of Microsoft 365 were full of practical hints and tips that people could use straight away, and they sped up our digital learning considerably. They also ran regular update sessions after Microsoft Ignite, so we always knew what was coming down the line. I always felt we were on the front foot when it came to adopting new technology.
What stood out for me was how Cosmic helped us look ahead. Kate Doodson ran several sessions for us, including one for our board on future technology and digital, and both Kate and Julie Hawker were inspiring leaders to work with. More recently I’ve been talking with Cosmic about digital inclusion, and I admire their work helping people at risk of being left behind to build the digital and employment skills they need. Their values come through in everything they do, and I’d recommend them without hesitation.
Julia Mixter, Previous Director of Transformation
at Raven Housing Trust
It’s been an absolute pleasure to work with Cosmic colleagues over the last few years. We’ve seen a lot of very positive impact as a result. Here’s to another 30 years!
Tom Winters, East Devon District CouncilCongratulations to the whole team and wider Cosmic family. I will always be proud of my time at Cosmic: it opened my eyes to a whole new way of working and thinking. Collaboration is quite possibly one of your strongest attributes, and I think that more organisations should aspire to the community ethos that Cosmic embodies. Here’s to the next decade.
Henry Smith, former Cosmic colleague, Trowers and Hamlins
What an incredible milestone! 30 years is such an amazing achievement and a real testament to the impact Cosmic has had over the years. I’ve absolutely loved working with Cosmic and feel so lucky to be able to be a small part of the amazing work you do. It’s been such a pleasure working on some of the projects over the past year, and I’m excited to see what the next 30 years brings!
Lucia Hofstetter, Zeta Creative
I first met Julie in 2018, through recommendation from an existing client. Since then, Julie and the Cosmic team have helped me and the Forum (a medium sized Dorset wide charity) with a broad range of projects, which in many ways is testament to the agility and versatility of Cosmic as an organisation. Building relationships comes first and this underpins the delivery of social purpose in partnership together.
Projects have included development of digital leadership skills and capacity within our organisation, before the pandemic, which stood us in good stead in 2020 when we were able to move relatively painlessly to full remote working within a few days. During the pandemic, Cosmic helped us to develop the digital skills of our workforce and embrace the potential of the MS365 environment.
Alongside this, Cosmic also developed our website and provides ongoing support for this. Furthermore, Julie has done some work with our Board, at Bournemouth University within our Partnership work and supported me personally with strategic thinking and planning for many years. I am delighted to celebrate Cosmic’s big birthday and to offer my congratulations to Julie and her amazing team for their huge success.
Becky Aldridge, Dorset Mental Health Forum
Many congratulations to you all on your 30th anniversary. Julie, you are an inspiration, a powerful voice for what is fair and right, and a true champion for the South West. Thank you for all that you do.
Lisa Vanstone, One Voice Media