National Coding Week began on 14 September, but with the continuing presence of the coronavirus pandemic, physical events were unable to go ahead as hoped, but the event continued to encourage the nurturing of coding skills to the UK’s young people and children.

The volunteer-led annual project began in 2014 in an aim to build confidence around learning and developing digital skills, as well as closing the skills gap in UK tech and STEM subjects.

One main feature of this year's event is the Fitness and Code Challenge, which aims to raise awareness of the importance of physical wellbeing alongside learning digital skills. Participants are encouraged to engage in physical activity such as cardio, weights, or stretching while taking breaks from practising coding.

The week hopes to give people from all backgrounds a better understanding of the increase in digital processes that have become part of everyday life.

Coding underpins almost everything in our daily lives, from taking a train to work to flicking through social media, but very few people understand how this works. By learning to code you can get a better grasp of how the world works, and how to apply coding to the everyday tasks we do, leading to becoming a more valuable member of the workforce.

It also hopes to disprove any misconceptions amongst the younger generations that working in STEM or with code is dull, when the truth is the opposite, showcasing that jobs in these areas can provide exciting opportunities, such as travel, global events, and being able to work alongside people from diverse backgrounds.

The week also hopes to encourage more young women to pursue a career in technology, as women are vastly underrepresented in the technology workforce, making looking for skills in an almost untapped female talent pool an obvious solution.

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