LiveWire and Warrington Borough Council have been awarded more than £34,000 to enable every library in the town to provide free Wi-Fi access.
The grant will allow Wi-Fi to be installed in Stockton Heath, Penketh and Westbrook libraries and upgrade the current broadband at Culcheth, Lymm and Burtonwood, allowing residents to access the internet for free on laptops, phones and tablets.
Jan Souness, managing director of LiveWire, said: “This funding will provide our libraries with another opportunity to expand their offer by tackling digital exclusion and allowing our communities to grow their digital skills.
“Residents will now be able to access the internet for free from their own devices which we hope will attract new visitors, adding to the thousands who already use our libraries every week.”
The funding has been provided as part of the ‘Wi-Fi in Public Libraries in England’ initiative which is administered by Arts Council England on behalf of the Department for Culture, Media & Sport.
The nationwide initiative will support more than 98% of public libraries in England to provide good quality free Wi-Fi by March 2016.
Kate Hannon, executive board member for leisure, community and culture at Warrington Borough Council, said: “This grant will provide residents with the much needed flexibility to access the internet through a range of digital devices.
“LiveWire’s libraries are valued learning and meeting spaces for the local community and free Wi-Fi access, combined with expert support, will open up opportunities that being online has to offer.”
Orford and Woolston libraries already provide access to Wi-Fi through their Neighbourhood Hubs and Warrington Central, Padgate and Birchwood libraries all had Wi-Fi installed earlier this year as part of a separate scheme by BT and Barclays.
Staff from the two companies have been running sessions at the three libraries over the past few months to help local people build confidence and develop the skills they need to succeed in the digital world.
