Pledge your support to help fix the digital divide

Salford Council is working towards making Salford a digitally inclusive city. They are looking to partner with local businesses or SMEs who can support this work and want to make a difference.

If this is you, please use the map below to see the organisations across the city that are looking for support. This can be, providing kit, connectivity, volunteers to assist with skills delivery, and safe spaces to deliver their services.

While many of us take digital access and skills for granted, not everyone in Salford have the same opportunities. With 15% of residents lacking basic digital skills, we are determined to ensure that no one is left behind in an increasingly digital world. Just like reading and writing, digital skills, connectivity, and access to devices have become essential for everyday life. Without them, individuals are being left behind by society.

What we did

Our Digital Everyone team has formed a network of 82 digital providers, including community, third sector, VCSE's, private businesses, and online centres. Together, we strive to support digital inclusion in the city. Over the past two years, this network has helped 30,000 people get online, distributed 1200 devices, and provided 400 connectivity packages to Salford residents. Our trusted online centres play a crucial role in bridging the digital divide, especially for marginalized communities or those with limited access to technology resources. By offering free digital training and access to technology, these centres ensure that everyone has the opportunity to gain vital digital literacy skills.

However, our online centres often face barriers in delivering this support. They lack resources, have outdated equipment, poor connectivity, and limited spaces to provide support.

To address these barriers, we have used a data-led approach and engaged extensively with our network. We have surveyed 200 Salford residents to understand their needs, conducted surveys with all 82 network members to identify their challenges in delivering digital inclusion support, and gathered data from schools to determine how many children still lack access to remote learning.

By collating this information and facilitating existing support, we aim to ask local businesses and organisations the question, "how can we help you accelerate your support to residents?" This support can come in the form of devices, broadband connectivity, or digital champion volunteers. By removing these barriers, we can create a more inclusive city.

Throughout our extensive engagement with our partners and the residents of Salford we collated the city's asks to remove the barriers to digital inclusion and to amplify support in the city, these are the four key areas that our community came back with:

If you are able to support your local community by donating either devices, connectivity, volunteer hours or providing a safe space

Click here to pledge your support

Utilising the above information we decided to host and event spearheaded by Salford City Council Mayor Paul Dennett, bringing together local businesses, industry leaders, and passionate individuals committed to addressing the digital divide that exists within the community. The primary goal was to foster collaboration and secure necessary resources to create a digitally inclusive city. It aspired to provide every resident with the opportunity to benefit from the digital age.

Find out more about the event here

How can you help?

Bridging the digital divide in Salford has profound implications for the growth and development of the city. By providing access to digital resources, residents can communicate better, connect with the world, and access opportunities for personal and professional growth.

Please use our interactive map at the bottom of the page to explore the specific needs of our online centre in each of Salford's neighbourhood's. By clicking on different areas, you can see how you can make a difference in your local community by pledging your support.

• Blackfriars and Trinity, Broughton, Kersal and Broughton Park
• Cadishead and Lower Irlam, Higher Irlam and Peel Green
• Claremont, Weaste and Seedley
• Eccles, Barton and Winton
• Little Hulton and Walkden
• Swinton and Wardley, Swinton Park, Pendlebury and Clifton
• The Quays, Ordsall, Pendleton and Charlestown
  
• Worsley and Westwood Park, Boothstown and Ellenbrook

You can pledge your support in various ways, such as donating or purchasing devices like laptops, tablets, mobile phones, provide safe spaces for training, or contributing to corporate social responsibility schemes through a volunteering scheme offering hours of support to our community online centres. Your support can transform lives. For example, a large digital screen can serve as a visual aid, enabling better training, while offering a meeting room for training allows us to reach more individuals. 

Pledge your support 

Your support matters. Together, we can bridge the digital divide and empower people in Salford for a brighter future. 

Please see below how your support can impact local communities