Virgin Money in Greenock joins national databank scheme

The Virgin Money hub on West Blackhall Street is taking part in the link-up with Good Things Foundation to help those in low-income families with little or no internet access.

The national databank project, which was initially introduced into a select number of stores at the end of 2022 as part of a phased pilot period, works like a food bank but provides free mobile data, texts and calls for digitally-excluded residents.

Anyone in Inverclyde who doesn’t have regular access to the web can visit Greenock's Virgin Money bank and pick up an O2 sim card loaded with 20GB of free data – enough for around 220 hours of internet browsing per month.

The free data allowance renews every month for six months.

Virgin Money on West Blackhall Street (Image: Street View)

Eligible customers must be over 18 and from a low-income household, and must have:

● no access or insufficient access to the internet at home

● and/or no or insufficient access to the internet when away from the home 

● and/or cannot afford their existing monthly contract or top-up.

Community organisations can also apply to access the databank.

James Peirson, general counsel and purpose officer at Virgin Money, said: “Digital exclusion is a real issue in the UK and one that needs prioritising.

"For many low or no-income households, paying for broadband is often seen as a luxury that they can’t afford, but in reality, it is an essential purchase – especially in this digital age.

"That’s why we are proud to support the vital work of Good Things Foundation by making the national databank programme easier for people in need to access across the UK."

The national databank scheme is a partnership between Good Things Foundation and Virgin Money (Image: Virgin Money)

Data compiled by Good Things Foundation shows that although around three-quarters of people in the UK believe having internet access is an essential need, one in 14 households have no home internet access at all, more than 2.5 million households struggle to afford broadband and 10.2 million people lack the most basic digital skills to use the internet.

Helen Milner OBE, group CEO, said: “We’re delighted to help tackle digital exclusion by extending our partnership with Virgin Money to make the national databank available to its full network of 91 stores.

"By the end of 2025, our ambition is to engage one million people helping them benefit from the digital world and support 5,000 digital inclusion hubs across the UK. Together we can fix the digital divide.”