Liverpool ECHO and InYourArea were recognised for our joint Cash for Connectivity campaign - and we would like to thank our readers for supporting it.
The scheme, which helped youngsters cope with learning from home during the pandemic, won the award for Best Publisher-led Social Good Initiative or Campaign in the Publishing Excellence Awards category at the AOP Digital Publishing Awards 2022 on June 15.
Cash for Connectivity was launched back in January 2021 to stop children from falling further behind in their education because they were unable to access online learning at home during lockdown.
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Ed Walker, Editor-in-Chief at InYourArea, said: "A big thank you to all our InYourArea users for their help in responding so quickly to the Cash for Connectivity appeal - and also to all those readers of Reach's northern brands - plus those of our partner organisations too.
"January 2021 feels like a lifetime ago, but it showed that in tough times, we have the power to do good - and quickly. I'm proud of everything we did to help more than 5,000 families across the North of England during that period of home-schooling."
Most children fell behind on their studies during lockdown, according to research from the University of York.
Youngsters from less well-off households were hit even harder, with educational disparities becoming more acute between middle and working class students. Many poorer families did not have access to the internet when they were forced to learn from home.
InYourArea joined the Cash for Connectivity appeal to help provide internet dongles - inexpensive hardware to connect laptops and up to 10 other devices per household to the web.
The emergency appeal helped 5,000 low-income households in the north get connected to the internet through the generosity of readers who raised nearly £50,000.
Judges for the AOP Digital Publishing Awards 2022 said: "This entry brought so many disparate partners together to achieve a tangible and immediate impact at speed. In Your Area took a problem relevant to their readers and found a solution quickly by taking a lead."
Cash for Connectivity is part of the Laptops for Kids campaign, launched by technology entrepreneur David Richards and supported by the Northern Powerhouse Partnership, WanDisco, Laptops for Kids, GoFundMe and a coalition of Reach's northern titles, along with Newsquest and JPI Media titles, businesses, local authorities and MPs.
The ECHO and InYourArea would like to thank everyone for their support..
