A COMMUNITY group is urging people do their bit to help children who are less fortunate than them.

Carlisle Covid-19 Community Help have been helping people throughout the pandemic with things such as medicine and food deliveries and also affordable food hubs for those that need them.

They already have 500 customers to their three hubs in north Cumbria: Brampton Community Centre, Morton Manor Community Centre, Petteril Bank Community Centre and the The Lookout - Community Cafe.

The latter is to open on the site of the old Community Reach building in the Raffles area of Carlisle soon.

Now Carlisle Covid-19 Community Help is turning its hand to supporting families who can't afford the equipment their children need to deal with the demands of learning from home.

"When we are talking to people at the food hub they are talking about Covid and the majority of the issues is around getting all the kit," explained Lisa Brown, who set up the Carlisle Covid-19 Community Help group.

"Some families have four or five children and getting them all access to the internet. Even access to the internet is a problem itself. Some people only have data on a phone."

The group is now urging people to get in touch with them if they have a laptop to donate or they can help to wipe any donated laptops ready for use.

Lisa believes not having access to the equipment can affect the whole family.

"For the parents there is guilt of not being able to keep up. Sometimes the kids don't want to do schoolwork but they will have a feeling of being left behind and that they are not keeping up.

"It is not just a one-off thing, it has been nearly a year (students rotating between learning from home and in the classroom)."

Lisa says her child's school has asked her to purchase a laptop to help with learning from home.

"We could have people getting high interest credit and getting into further debt, which is a huge concern," continued Lisa.

She says the support offered by the Government is not easily accessible and does not help families with more than one child.

"Schools are doing the best they can," explained Lisa.

The group is asking anyone who can help to contact Carlisle Covid-19 Community Help on Facebook.

Alternatively you can email info@carlislecommunutyhelp.co.uk.