Community groups in Workington have received grants to help them make the most of digital opportunities.
The funding has come from Full Fibre broadband company Fibrus, which launched the Fibrus Community Fund Cumbria in April 2023 in partnership with Cumbria Community Foundation.
The 4th Workington Guide and Scout Group facilitates weekly meetings for 60-70 children at their headquarters in St Michael’s Ward, a location ranked within the 10% most deprived areas in England.
The Group applied for the grant to buy a projector and screen to support their meetings and enhance training and learning opportunities for the children.
Group Scout Leader Yvonne Martin said: “The equipment will allow us to download set programmes and provide practical information and demonstrations to offer skills and opportunities for the children and their parents.
“It will be used for many years to come and will benefit a variety of children now and in the future.”
The organisation is benefitting from Fibrus’ donations over the last 12 months, which total £60,000 and aim to tackle digital poverty with a particular focus on those aged 18 and under and the over-60s. The fund has been set up to help those most in need of support around digital poverty, making a positive difference to their lives and addressing issues over the longer term. The grants coincide with Fibrus rolling out high-speed broadband connections to homes across the county.
Linda McMillan, Chief People Officer at Fibrus, said: “We know how beneficial fibrefast broadband can be to communities, but we’re acutely aware that digital poverty is a big issue, so this fund is all about enabling everyone to make the most of being connected.
“That’s why we’re thrilled to be able to support so many fantastic initiatives across the county.”
Jenny Benson, director of programmes and partnerships at Cumbria Community Foundation, added: “The grants provided by the Fibrus Community Fund can be life changing.
“They can pay for devices that help young people with schoolwork or to apply for their first job, for example, and enable older people to access online services and stay connected with family and friends through Skype or Zoom.”
In 2023, Fibrus supported 31 organisations including: Time to Change; Wigton Youth Station; Age UK South Lakeland and the Brathay Trust.
Fibrus is transforming digital infrastructure by investing more than £700m to bring Full Fibre broadband to towns and villages across Northern England and Northern Ireland. The company recently announced two new connectable locations in the local area as part of its ongoing rollout, Ambleside and Workington, on top of the first homes in Aspatria and Staveley connected under the Government’s Project Gigabit contract last year.
Fibrus will be inviting community groups to apply for a further round of funding which will open on April 22nd and close on May 17th. Details will be announced on the Cumbria Community Foundation website.
