- Netherfield Forum, based at the St Georges Centre in Nottingham, has been announced as the second winner of the Virgin Media O2 Captain Tom Foundation Connector Award
- The award recognises charities and community groups that have gone above and beyond during the Covid-19 pandemic
- Hannah-Ingram Moore, the daughter of the late Sir Captain Tom Moore, visited St George’s Centre to present their award which includes tech prizes worth up to £5,000 and gigabit broadband at their Nottingham base
Netherfield Forum, a community-based charity in Nottingham, has been announced as the second winner of the Virgin Media O2 Captain Tom Foundation Connector Award.
The Virgin Media O2 Captain Tom Connector Award, inspired by the late Captain Sir Tom Moore, aims to recognise local groups and community initiatives with an injection of tech and connectivity to help them do even more great work.
Hannah Ingram-Moore, the daughter of the late Captain Sir Tom Moore, visited Netherfield Forum to present them with the award and to discover some of the work that they do in the local community.
The Netherfield Forum opened its doors back in March 2005, with its Community Centre in the heart of Netherfield dedicated to supporting its community through group work and education.
When the pandemic hit, the Netherfield Forum had to diversify, and rather than close down they adapted. Their staff wanted to continue working, however, they were unable to open their community centre doors. Instead, from the March 23 until July 31, they served over 35,000 meals to their community.
The centre provides a space for its locals to meet, socialise and feel part of the wider community. The activities provided are suitable for all age groups, making its services widely inclusive.
Like most charities in the UK, many can do even more with funding as well as improved digital means such as fast broadband and tech to aid their efforts.
As part of winning the Virgin Media O2 Captain Tom Connector Award, The Netherfield Forum has been given gigabit broadband and a tech bundle worth up to £5,000 with items such as smart TV’s, tablets, laptops and much more.
The charities base at the St George’s Centre in Nottingham, has been connected to
Virgin Media’s Gig1 service, which provides broadband speeds 22 times faster the UK average.
Tina Simpson, Trustee of Netherfield Forum, said:
“It is amazing that the Netherfield Forum is the second winner of the Virgin Media O2 Captain Tom Foundation Connector Award. We are so passionate about our community and strive to do all we can for our local people, so to be honoured with this award from Virgin Media O2 means the world to us. With our second centre opening for our local youth, we cannot wait to see what the gigabit broadband and tech will do for our community.”
Hannah Ingram-Moore, Director at the Captain Tom Foundation said:
“It is an honour to be announcing the second winner of the Virgin Media O2 Captain Tom Foundation Connector Award. The Netherfield Forum is so deserving of this award as they proved to be a vital lifeline during the pandemic. At such a distressing time for many, they ensured a community remained as one. We can’t wait to see what this vital injection of gigabit broadband and tech prizes can do for future projects.”
Jeff Dodds, Chief Operating Officer at Virgin Media O2, said:
“The Virgin Media O2 Captain Tom Connector Award is all about recognising the local heroes and charities in the UK that have helped their communities during this difficult time.
“We know that they can all do with a helping hand and we’re honoured to recognise Netherfield Forums as the second winner of the award. Our gigabit broadband service as well as a host of tech prizes will help them do even more amazing things in their community.”
Over the coming months, Virgin Media and the Captain Tom Foundation will be selecting further winners of the award.
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