Cash For Connectivity: Laptops for Kids

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

This emergency fundraising appeal aims to raise £1.2million to purchase internet-enabled dongles for the households in the North of England who need to get online.

Your money will help 100,000 households from Crewe to Berwick-upon-Tweed, to Carlisle to Scunthorpe and everywhere in between.

Media outlets, politicians, businesses and many more organisations in the North are uniting behind this crucial cause. Staying home and staying safe shouldn’t mean you’re not connected.

The appeal is part of the Laptops for Kids campaign, launched by technology entrepreneur David Richards, CEO and Founder of WANdisco, The Sheffield Star, and Learn Sheffield, and supported by the BBC Make a Difference initiative, the Northern Powerhouse Partnership and a growing number of newspapers, websites, businesses and local authorities. 

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. 

Those backing the campaign include:

Kate Green MP, shadow secretary of state for education
Chi Onwurah MP, Newcastle central and Shadow Minister for Science, Research & Digital
Middlesbrough Football Club Foundation
Teesside Philanthropic Foundation
Alex Cunningham MP, Stockton North
Andy McDonalds MP, Middlesbrough
Simon Clarke MP, Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland
Jacob Young MP, Redcar
Mike Hill MP, Hartlepool
Emma Hardy MP, Hull West and Hessle
Cat Smith MP, Lancaster and Fleetwood
Judith Cummins MP, Bradford South
Councillor Johnathan Pryor, Leeds City Council executive member for learning, employment and skills
Tracy Brabin MP, Batley and Spen
Craig Phillips, original Big Brother 1 winner, presenter and property developer
Port of Tyne
Northumbrian Water
Vertu Motors
Sunderland AFC
Newcastle FC
BBC Radio Sheffield
AESSEAL
National Lottery Heritage Fund
Google UK
3Squared
Gripple
Direct Gas Chesterfield
Benchmark Consult
DLA Piper
The Floow
JUMP Architects
City Taxis
GWS Tech solutions
SIG plc
e-Learning Team SCC
South Yorkshire Fire and Rescue
RSPCA
RV RUGG Wire Fabrication
Frogson Investments Ltd
Blancco plc
Twinkl
WANdisco plc
Natterhub
ANT Marketing
R3
Finance and Leasing Association
Rebuyer
Code
Northern Powerhouse Partnership

Full list of publications backing the campaign
Liverpool Echo
Manchester Evening News, including MyWigan, MyBolton, MySalford and MyBury
Chronicle Live including Sunderland Live, Northumberland Live, County Durham Live
InYourArea
Teesside Live
Yorkshire Live including Leeds Live, ExaminerLive, South Yorkshire Live, North Yorkshire Live
Hull Live
Grimsby Live
Cheshire Live
LancsLive
Cumbria Live
Chester Chronicle
Huddersfield Examiner
Newcastle Chronicle
Newcastle Journal
Grimsby Telegraph
Hull Daily Mail
Teesside Gazette
Accrington Observer
Rossendale Free Press
Southport Visiter
Northern Echo
St Helens Star
Warrington Guardian
Lancashire Telegraph
Bolton News