KCOM has awarded three new KCOM Digital Grants to the latest winners helping to bridge the digital divide, as part of a scheme which is run in partnership with the HEY Smile Foundation, aimed at grassroots organisations promoting digital inclusion.
Fri, 25/07/2025 - 12:18
CityFibre has awarded £40,0000 to digital inclusion charity Cambridge Online as part of its new Community Fund scheme, aimed at addressing barriers to digital inclusion.
The grant is one of four awarded to non-profit organisations in areas where CityFibre is rolling out Project Gigabit and will help empower local communities to tackle digital poverty – the Community Fund is just one example of this.
An estimated one in 10 of Cambridgeshire residents do not reap the benefits that being online has to offer, and those who have an email address can benefit from faster ‘life admin’ tasks, such as registering for online services like council tax, utility bills, and instant banking.
In mid-July, Cambridge Online hosted an event at Peterborough City Council offices to formally launch its new year-long ‘Digital Inclusion Project’, supported by CityFibre’s funding.
The campaign aims to co-operate with various community groups across Peterborough and Cambridge to deliver localised and appropriate support to address digital poverty across the areas.
As one of the founding members of the Cambridgeshire Digital Partnership, Cambridge Online already supports over 1,500 people across the region. Offering a range of free services including digital literacy and confidence sessions, the project can now expand, opening new community hubs and training more volunteers to help tackle digital exclusion across Peterborough.
Marcus Whewell, CEO at Cambridge Online, explained why this new project is so important: “The CityFibre funding for this project will allow us to provide our services for free, which ensures that the programme is accessible to everybody in the city. It is our intention to launch over a dozen community training hubs within the next few months which will begin the process of addressing this significant issue.”
Stacey King, Senior Partnership Manager at CityFibre added: “CityFibre’s goal has always been to support local communities and make sure that the UK is ready for a full fibre future.
“Empowering projects such as Cambridge Online through our Community Fund will ensure that the right assistance is delivered in a way that will benefit as many people as possible across the area.”
