Surrey children's charity says digital funding will transform services
Rainbow Trust Children's Charity is one of twelve organisations included in the Digital Services Consortium's programme to help improve disabled children's access to online support.
Last updated 23rd May 2025
Rainbow Trust Children's Charity in Surrey are to receive funding that they say will transform the online support they can offer.
The charity, based in Leatherhead, supports families caring for a seriously ill child.
Rainbow Trust Children's Charity, along with twelve other charities, is part of the Digital Services Consortium (DSC), which aims to enhance digital skills, confidence and access for children with disabilities, serious illnesses, and their families.
A new initiative called the Driving Digital Inclusion Programme has been launched. It aims to provide access to digital devices, skills training, and support.
The DSC has received funding from The National Lottery Community Fund and BBC Children in Need.
The programme will help Rainbow Trust extend their reach across a larger area by offering online support.
Rainbow Trust Director of Care Jen Kenward said: "The Driving Digital Inclusion Programme will allow us to establish a safe alternative that can be trusted with well-known organisations so that we can open a safe digital door for people and let them be involved with peers, support, and access the devices that will really help them."
Jen Kenward said the cost-of-living crisis has impacted families' abilities to maximise the possibilities of digital learning for their children, saying: "To suddenly have to adapt your life to caring for a seriously ill child or adapting your home for the needs of a disabled child is a demand that you don't factor for when you're planning your family. If we can step in and look at different, more creative ways to give them support, it's a really positive thing."