The £12,500 grant from London Freemasons enables Wandsworth-based charity Power to Connect to expand its initiatives mission to combat digital poverty and support communities with limited access to technology, ensuring that children, young people, and their families have the tools they need to reach their academic and personal potential, along with the knowledge and confidence to thrive safely and successfully whilst also providing more refurbished devices and offering additional digital skills sessions for families.

The funding will ensure that children, young people, and their families have the tools they need to reach their academic and personal potential, along with the knowledge and confidence to thrive safely and successfully. It will help empower them to access essential services, seize new opportunities and navigate the digital world with confidence.

Power to Connect, along with distribution runs free Digital Skills courses and Digital Drop-ins across Wandsworth. These sessions, held in local libraries, Family Hubs, and community centres, are designed to increase digital confidence, improve digital literacy, and support participants' overall well-being.

Established to assist families struggling with homeschooling during the Covid-19 pandemic, Power to Connect, founded in 2020, is on a mission to combat digital poverty and support communities with limited access to technology and has since evolved into a vital resource, bridging the digital divide across the local area. Power to Connect has refurbished over 3,500 devices and partnered with more than 130 local organisations, including schools, refugee groups, food banks, and other community services that help identify individuals in need.

Power to Connect works to provide sustainable access to digital technology for individuals and families who are excluded from essential online resources. The charity operates through a circular economy model, collecting, repairing, refurbishing and reusing unwanted devices, such as laptops and smartphones, before returning them to the community.

Megan Barrett, CEO, Power to Connect said:

“At Power to Connect, we believe access to digital technology is a fundamental right, not a luxury. Connectivity is essential for education, employment, accessing vital services, and improving quality of life. We are incredibly grateful to London Freemasons for their generous support. Their contribution enables us to provide more families with devices and the skills to use them, helping to combat digital poverty and ensure no one is left behind in today’s increasingly online world.”

Paul King from London Freemasons said:

“In a world where access to data and digital services is typically taken for granted, the work that Power to Connect are doing to bring those services and tools to those within our communities that do not have access is vital and we know that the grant provided by London Freemasons will further support the charity to make a difference.”

For more information on Power to Connects services or to learn how to get involved, visit www.powertoconnect.co.uk  or follow them on social media @PWRtoconnect