A student facing homelessness who was able to continue his studies thanks to free broadband has described the gesture an "internet miracle".  

Kairos Housing works within Blackburn and Darwen and provides short-term shared accommodation and specialist one-to-one support for individuals at risk of street homelessness in the borough.  

The team said they were overwhelmed when Opus Broadband stepped in to offer their guests free internet as part of their Digital Inclusion campaign.

The company has already connected school children, churches and community groups to high-speed internet.  

Project manager Lisa said: “When started off, we were just a group of individuals who came together to try and help individuals experiencing homelessness.  

"At the beginning, everything was on a shoestring budget so we couldn't even think about providing Wi-Fi for our guests.  

“Having free Wi-Fi helps us professionally as we use it in our office, but for our guests, it's a lifeline for them to be able to stay connected to friends and family in this country and abroad.”  

Ali is a guest who moved to his accommodation during the lockdown.

He said: “At the time I was studying computer programming, and I couldn't go to class, so I had to study everything from home.

"The problem is I couldn't use my mobile data because every day we had to do things like a Zoom call and videos.

“My goodness, I was literally crying because I didn't have internet.

But when the connection came in, it made things easier.  

“If you're just reading stuff, well, maybe you can use your mobile data, no problem. But there are videos and video conferences.

"There is no way you can do that using your mobile phones.”  

Project manager Lisa Norcross said: “It's remarkable that we found a small and a local provider that would support us in this way.”  

Nancy Kinyanjui, a support worker with the charity, said: “I would say it's a very good example of corporate responsibility.

"For the people you're supporting to be able to access the internet without limit means if there's something that needs to be communicated quickly, you can. It makes it far easier to support people.”  

Ali added: “I would probably put it with two words. I would say ‘internet miracle’. “That's what it is to me.”