Help pay for internet for disadvantaged Lancashire children in lockdown | Cash for connectivity appeal

The emergency fundraising is targeting £1.2m to help provide free internet to 100,000 disadvantaged households.

Young children are being denied their basic right to education because they cannot access online learning at home during lockdown.

The appeal is part of the Laptops for Kids campaign, launched by technology entrepreneur David Richards and supported by the Northern Powerhouse Partnership and a growing number of newspapers, websites, businesses and local authorities.

You can donate to the campaign HERE.

Cash for Connectivity will fund the purchase of dongles - inexpensive hardware to connect laptops and up to five other devices per household to the internet.

Cat Smith MP is backing the campaign to help alleviate digital exclusion in our communities.

David Richards, founder and CEO of data software company WANdisco plc, said: “This is a quick and inexpensive fix to an urgent social problem and we encourage readers to donate.

“Connectivity is as important as water and should be freely available to those in need. Together we can help end the data drought in the North of England.”

Sarah Mulholland, Head of Policy at the Northern Powerhouse Partnership, said: “While it’s fantastic that people and businesses are donating laptops and devices to help children learn from home, equally as important is ensuring that families have internet connectivity.

“The pandemic has deepened existing disparities in education, with the most disadvantaged children at risk of falling even further behind their classmates if we don’t step in.

“With help from people across the North, we’re confident we can ensure our young people are able to get the technology they need to keep on learning.”

Cat Smith, MP for Lancaster and Fleetwood, said: “When siblings are having to share a parent’s mobile phone data between them to do their school work we know there is a huge issue with digital exclusion in our communities and I wish the campaign success in delivering internet to our kids.”

Nicola Adam, deputy editor of the Lancashire Post, said: "We are delighted to join forces with our colleagues across the industry to help those young children without the technical advantage many take for granted.

"In 2021 internet access for online learning is a basic human right, yet many are struggling. If you can help please let's enable the next generation."

You can donate to the campaign HERE.