The authority and local housing association L&Q will be delivering devices to pupils throughout this month as part of a Greater Manchester-wide ‘Digitober’ campaign, and to celebrate the national Get Online Week.
Trafford’s digital inclusion team, along with representatives from L&Q, will be gifting laptops to 100 high school children, supporting those families who do not have the means to purchase a subsidized, low-cost device through the Trafford Tech4All campaign.
The council took steps to provide the computers after local schools reported that some children were struggling to get online, particularly in the wake of the Coronavirus pandemic where many schools took to online-only homework platforms.
Examples include children completing their homework on mobile phones, staying late after school to use school library computers, and families without internet access at home.
Cllr Liz Patel, Trafford council’s executive member for economy and regeneration, said: “Everyone in our borough needs to be able to access services online these days, and it is heartbreaking to hear that so many can’t.
“This council is totally committed to ensuring our young people get the best start in life, and that means getting them online with everyone else. This scheme is extremely important to us as it helps bridge the gap between those who have and those who do not have suitable access to devices to get online. Thank you to our partners L&Q for helping us provide laptops to those children who need them most.”
Danny Sutherland, workplace technologies analyst at L&Q, said: “L&Q is proud and excited to partner with Trafford Council and Community Computers for this fantastic campaign. Supporting good causes in the local area, especially digital inclusion, is something we are fully committed to, and seeing the benefit that our laptops can bring to schools, low-income families, and vulnerable residents in helping them to get online, and the difference that can bring to their lives, is truly heartwarming and inspiring.”
Trafford council has launched a campaign to support digital inclusion across the borough and says it is working with partners to provide digital support to those who need it most. The council is signed up to the Local Digital Declaration in a commitment to make service delivery more efficient and make digital access easier for residents.
Those interested in giving their ex-business devices a second life and supporting disadvantaged families should contact [email protected] to learn more about contributing to this impactful campaign.
Earlier this year, Trafford council launched Trafford Tech4All to provide hundreds of vulnerable residents with laptops, free data, affordable broadband, and digital skills training.
The council and tech-refurb partner Community Computers handed 265 laptops to low-income families at pop-up shops attended by over 1,000 residents in Old Trafford, Lostock, Altrincham, and Sale. The retired devices, made available by L&Q, were professionally refurbished before being distributed to those in need at the cut-price cost of £60.