A pioneering new scheme has been launched to help companies in Gwynedd go digital, stem the tide of rural depopulation and boost the county’s economy.

The contract to run the Dyfodol Digidol (Digital Future) project has been secured by the fast-growing consultancy firm, Lafan, who will be providing mentoring sessions and training.

The Gwynedd Council project has received funding from the Gwynedd Shared Prosperity Fund and is available free of charge to any businesses based in the county.

It’s building on the success of a similar project, working with firms in the hospitality, food and drink industries, but the new version has been expanded in its scope and is open to companies of any size, working in all sectors.

Companies that sign up will get three one-to-one mentoring sessions from a digital expert and will be able to choose from 30 different training workshops which will be mainly online.

The project is being delivered by Lafan in partnership with Anglesey-based innovation centre M-Sparc, website designers Gwe Cambrian and marketing company Marketshed.

Lafan consultant Jamie Hughes said: “We look forward to supporting businesses to grow digitally.

“The first step is to establish the business’s goals and then work out what they need, whether that’s e-marketing, social media, choosing the right software, websites, e-commerce or accounting systems for example.

“What I found with that the programme last year was that a lot of companies were not aware of what’s available.”

For more information about the Dyfodol Digidol scheme contact Lafan by emailing them at [email protected] or ringing them on 01248 665624.