Volunteers at a Blackburn community centre say their after school clubs are ‘thriving’ after they were donated free internet.

Accrington Road Community Centre is run by a dedicated team of volunteers.

The centre hosts a range of community classes on a daily basis and was donated a free high-speed connection by Opus Broadband.

The connection is part of the company’s ‘Internet for Everyone’ campaign, an initiative aiming to reduce the digital divide in the North West.

The company works with schools, charities and community groups and has already connected hundreds of homes and buildings across the region as part of the campaign.

Kay Kareem, a manager at the centre, said: “We use this connection for all our classes and groups as it gives support to the whole community from our after-school clubs where the kids can get online and complete their homework through to our mental health groups, ladies groups, youth groups and craft groups. 

“Most schoolwork has to be completed online these days and for some people this is the only place they can get an internet connection. It has helped massively. 

“We also share this building with Age UK, and we help people fill out forms for their pensions, benefits, NHS and other essential items which they might struggle to do on their own. It is an asset to the community and it has helped provide a safe space for the community to come to.”

Kay said the centre wanted to provide classes and a space for people to help better themselves through education in school, college or university.

She added: “We now have an amazing internet connection and Opus has upgraded our router to be the newest version and a mesh system so that we get a full connection even in one of our harder to reach rooms. 

“Ian Clough, Opus’ Digital Social Initiative Coordinator, has also been a huge help and has set up referrals for some members to get internet in their homes.

“This is a good reliable service that has really helped our centre and we have been lucky that we were one of the first centres to have this installed before the pandemic.”

A spokesperson for Opus Broadband said: “It is great to see community groups and charities benefiting from our ‘Internet for Everyone’ initiative.

“We are on a mission to ensure that no one is left behind when it comes to digital inclusion.

"By helping organisations including Accrington Road Community Centre, we are able to reach out to more people across the region who need the internet for the simplest tasks such as children being able to complete their homework."