FAMILIES in Lowestoft will be the first to benefit from a new initiative that is being piloted in Suffolk.For the past two weeks parents in south and central Lowestoft have held meetings with Suffolk County Council officials to learn about a new government programme.

FAMILIES in Lowestoft will be the first to benefit from a new initiative that is being piloted in Suffolk.

For the past two weeks parents in south and central Lowestoft have held meetings with Suffolk County Council officials to learn about a new government programme.

Eligible families with children at school in Lowestoft are now able to apply for free computers and internet connections - ahead of the rest of Suffolk, and the UK.

Suffolk has been chosen as one of only two national pilot areas for the programme called Home Access, which aims to get more families using computers and the internet at home.

Jeremy Pembroke, leader of Suffolk County Council, launched the project in October last year, when he said: 'In Suffolk every child does matter, and I look forward to many more children here using computers and the internet at home to learn much more effectively.'

Parents of children at Kirkley High School, and in the south Lowestoft cluster, were invited to briefings last week. And on Monday this week parents of youngsters at the Denes High School, and middle schools that link to the Denes, also attended meetings.

Benjamin Britten High School, and feeder schools, will hold a meeting in forthcoming weeks, while everyone in the county will have had the chance to apply by the end of April 2009.

At this week's meeting, Terry Ring, who is leading the Home Access programme for the county council, said: 'This scheme covers the whole of Lowestoft, and it is an important opportunity for locals as it goes national in November.'