Free data and texts from these 02 stores across Lancashire, Manchester, Liverpool and Chester - here's why

Virgin Media O2 is transforming 12 O2 stores across the North West into National Databank Hubs, where people can receive 25GB of free O2 data per month, for 12 months - that’s enough for around 275 hours of internet browsing per month.

It means people experiencing data poverty can access essential websites and manage everyday tasks, such as booking medical appointments, applying for work, and online training, and can keep in touch with their loved ones over the festive period and beyond.

“A food bank for data”

Virgin Media O2 launched the National Databank – which is like a food bank but for data –with the UK’s leading digital inclusion charity, Good Things Foundation, in 2021. There are now around 3,000 National Databanks Hubs across the country, with O2 connecting more than 200,000 people nationwide.

Where?

The new Databank Hubs located in O2 stores across the North West are:

1. Burnley – The Mall

2. Chester - Broughton Shopping Park

3. Ellesmere Port – Coliseum Shopping Park

4. Liverpool - Liverpool Shopping Park

5. Ormskirk

6. Penrith – New Squares

7. Middleton - Middleton Shopping Centre

8. Rochdale - Rochdale Exchange Shopping Centre

9. Bolton – Middlebrook Retail Park

10. Preston - Deepdale Shopping Park

11. Thornton Cleveleys

12. Leigh - Spinning Gate Shopping Centre

Are you eligible?

To be eligible for free data from the National Databank, a recipient must:

- Be 18 years or older.

- Income: Must belong to a low-income household.

- Internet Access: Having no or insufficient access to the internet at home, and/or no or insufficient access to the internet when away from home, and/or be unable to afford their existing monthly contract or top-up.

Stay in touch with loved ones

Nicola Green from Virgin Media O2 said: “By opening new National Databank Hubs in O2 stores across the North West, we’re helping people affected by data poverty to stay in touch with their loved ones, access critical services, and be part of the digital world this Christmas and beyond. Virgin Media O2 is proud to be leading the way in tackling data and digital poverty across the region, where we’re building a fairer digital future for everyone.

“Whether it’s through the National Databank, providing free refurbished smartphones and devices via our Community Calling programme, or our broadband and mobile plans for people on low incomes, we’re committed to helping people in need to get online and stay connected.”

Helen Milner, Group CEO at Good Things Foundation, said: “I’m delighted to see the National Databank grow even larger, with 12 O2 stores across the North West now becoming National Databank Digital Inclusion Hubs. Virgin Media O2’s work to help reduce digital exclusion now allows the Databank to extend its impact to even more people and is a lifeline to those struggling to access the internet this Christmas. This means more people in need can access essential services and connect with loved ones. This work underpins Good Things Foundation’s ambition to help one million people benefit from the digital world by 2025. Together we can fix the digital divide for good.”

Supporting people in need Virgin Media O2’s support of the National Databank builds on its commitment to connect one million digitally excluded people through free and affordable connectivity and services by the end of 2025, as part of its sustainability strategy, the Better Connections Plan. This also includes its Community Calling programme with digital inclusion charity, Hubbub, which has rehomed more than 20,000 smartphones with those who need it, and its broadband and mobile social tariffs for people who receive government support payments.

In addition, Virgin Media O2 has also equipped 5.6 million people with digital skills and the knowledge and tools to navigate the online world safely.