Tech4Families has launched in Portsmouth and Gosport, bringing the Digital Poverty Alliance (DPA) and Currys partnership to families in two new areas. Eligible parents and carers will be able to apply for a laptop that belongs to their family, not as a loan or rental, but as a device they can keep at home.
The programme is for families with a child aged 4 to 16 who does not have access to a suitable laptop. It has been shaped around a simple need that remains urgent in many households, where getting online can depend on sharing a device, borrowing one elsewhere, or going without. Across the UK, one in five children and one in seven adults are currently living in digital poverty, limiting their ability to learn, work and access essential online services.
Since launching, Tech4Families has provided laptops to more than 3,000 families across the UK. Where a household does not have internet access, it can also receive a dongle and prepaid SIM providing connectivity for one year. Families are also directed towards digital skills, media literacy and online safety resources to help them use the technology confidently.
Tech4Families is funded through customer micro-donations made through Pennies. Currys customers can choose to add a 25p or 50p donation when paying by card in store, while donations can now also be made online at Currys.co.uk. The money raised is used to buy new and refurbished laptops for eligible families. Portsmouth and Gosport join the areas where the programme is already available, including Staffordshire, Cumberland, the Norfolk Coast and the Lincolnshire Coast in England, Neath Port Talbot and Bridgend in Wales, Ayrshire in Scotland, and Northern Ireland.
The launch was marked by an event at the Portsmouth Currys store on 14 September, followed later in the day by a roundtable in Gosport. Schools, family services and community organisations heard more about how the programme works, who can apply and how they can help eligible families in Portsmouth and Gosport access the support they need.
Elizabeth Anderson, CEO, Digital Poverty Alliance, said the expansion would open Tech4Families to more families who are currently managing without the technology they need at home.
“For families without a suitable laptop, the impact is felt in very practical ways, from children completing schoolwork to parents applying for jobs or accessing important services. Tech4Families puts a device directly into the home and, crucially, it belongs to the family. Bringing the programme to Portsmouth and Gosport with Currys means more families will have that same opportunity.”
Families applying to Tech4Families are asked a few short questions, with someone from the community, such as a teacher or councillor, also asked to confirm that a laptop is needed. Applications are subject to eligibility, funding and laptop availability.