Partington residents to get free online access

Residents across the Partington area who do not have internet access will be able to get it free thanks to Trafford Council.

The Council is working to bridge the digital divide and help those who are struggling to get online – has donated Samsung tablets to the Hideaway hub for its new Hope Community Café.

Visitors to The Hideaway will now be able to use the devices for free to check their emails, search for jobs or browse the web, all while enjoying a hot cup of tea.

The first batch of tablets arrived this week and it is hoped that more devices and digital support sessions will follow in the coming months, helping local residents to access online services.

We think its a great idea for those that do not have access to the internet and hopefully this type of thing could be extended to other parts of Trafford.

Partington once had a proper library that was widely used and was very disappointed when the decision was made to call it a day and shut it down, to save money they could have done more to hire out the back of the library which was hardly used and most of the time in the dark!

The Hideaway is open to all and is part of a charity which hosts several other projects supporting families and local residents, including the Hope Centre – one of Trafford’s Community Support hubs and local foodbank.

The centre hosts a community food pantry and provides energy, information, children’s clothing and much more for local people in need.

To help keep residents connected in an ever-increasingly digital world, Hideaway also offer low-income residents free SIM cards loaded with data, calls and texts for six months at a time, provided by the Good Things Foundation. 

Hideaway Founder and manager Ruth Lancey said: “We’re delighted to be able to offer this additional service to local residents in our new community cafe. So many services are online now and this opens up a new space for local people to access digital services and get help if they need it. Children are welcome to use them for homework after school too while enjoying tea in the cafe.”

Cllr Jo Harding, Trafford Council’s Executive Member for Culture, Leisure and Strategic Partnerships, said: “Trafford Council is committed to providing digital support to all residents and I am delighted that we have been able to hand over these tablets to the community café. It is very important that everyone has access to the web and the internet and we are happy to be helping those who do not.”

(Pic: Trafford Council)