Charity founders, Simon Gurner and Mike Tarbard, have set themselves a challenge to raise £5000 for their Start-up charity Every Child Online (ECO). On the 24th October, the two intrepid friends will take on the peaks of Pen-y-ghent, Whernside and Ingleborough, located in the Yorkshire Dales. The route will see them walking and climbing for twenty-four miles across iconic countryside scenery while ascending to heights of 5200 ft.

What will your money be spent on?

Funds raised will cover the costs that allow the Every Child Online team to refurbish unused laptops and PCs donated to them by local businesses; once the hard drive in these computers is wiped of company data, the computers are cleaned, upgraded and handed to underprivileged children via their schools. The money we raise will help the team install software and hardware upgrades, plus pay for new accessories like mice and keyboards. A £5000 donation will enable Every Child Online to refurbish over 150 laptops and PCs .

Why the need for refurbished computers?

As a result of actions taken to keep children at home during the COVID 19 pandemic, many schools have discovered a surprising number of pupils without access to a computer or the internet, some even attempting to complete homework set by their teachers on a mobile phone!

An institution set up to support social mobility amongst young people, ran a poll which discovered that 34% of pupils do not have regular access to a laptop or computer at home, and pupils attending independent schools were twice as likely to take part in online lessons every day, compared to their disadvantaged peers.

The effect of this “digital divide” between the wealthiest and most disadvantaged pupils in our society will be long-lasting and highly damaging. It is predicted that school closures are likely to reverse progress made to close the gap in the last decade since 2011. The median estimate indicates that the gap between disadvantaged and non-disadvantaged will widen by 36%. A decade’s worth of progress, may fall to the way-side as pupils without regular computer access have fallen behind, and with a continued lack of access throughout their time at school, stay behind.

Please support Simon and Mike's efforts to raise funds, this is not going to be an easy challenge, so please give as much as you can. Every refurbished computer PAID FOR WITH YOUR DONATION will make a huge difference to a child's education and future career prospects. Thank you

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If you're a UK taxpayer, please remember to tick the Gift Aid box as this will increase your donation by at least 25% at no extra cost to you.

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