12th Ashton Scout Group becomes latest beneficiary of Three UK’s Connected Communities programme

Three UK has provided free high-speed broadband, smart tablets and digital training sessions to the 12^th Ashton Scout Group in Ashton-Under-Lyne, Greater Manchester as part of its Connected Communities programme.

Launched by Three’s Discovery team as a pilot initiative in 2022, Connected Communities aims to bridge the digital divide – providing brilliant young people across the country with the tools they need to succeed – empowering them and their communities everyday, through the power of Three’s network.

Following the successful launch with three youth clubs in Leeds and Birmingham, the 12th Ashton Scout Group in Ashton-Under-Lyne in Greater Manchester becomes the latest community group to benefit from this package from Three. The Scout Group was selected after being nominated by their local community in recognition of the hard work the leaders do to help young people and engage with them in their community. The nomination detailed “The youngsters are coming on massively in confidence and this would be great for activities using the internet which they struggle with at the moment”.

The first learning session at the Scout Group’s Richmond Street Community Centre was delivered by Three’s Discovery team on Wednesday 17 April and provided attendees with training in stop-motion animation. The 5G broadband and tablets provided will remain at the Community Centre and be available to all of those who use it.

Three’s Discovery programme delivers digital training for local communities of all ages and abilities, no matter what network they are on. In 2023, 34,000 people experienced a Discovery session, to help people to gain and develop their digital skills.

Craig Miller, Head of Retail at Three, said: “Access to technology and connectivity has never been more important for young people across the UK. It has become an integral part of their day-to-day life, from aiding them in their studies to providing them with a creative outlet or simply in communicating with their friends out of school.

“I’m delighted that we’ve been able to bring our Connected Communities programme to the Richmond Street Community Centre and run our Discovery sessions for the 12^th Ashton Scout Group to empower and educate young people with the tools they need to excel in an increasingly complex and interconnected world.”

Alan Fish, District Scout Chair of North Tameside 12^th Ashton Scout Group, said: “Three UK has moved 12th Ashton Scouts and Richmond St Community Centre into the new 5G digital world to help young people in a deprived area in Tameside to get connected. It was amazing to watch their faces light up when the tablets were switched on and they carried out their tasks online. Some of our young people have no access to the internet or devices, so it’ll be an invaluable help for The Beavers, Cubs, Scouts of 12th Ashton and our Leaders to break down that Digital Divide.”