Chester’s Broughton and Ellesmere Port’s Coliseum Shopping Parks will be destinations for O2 users to claim data as part of a national campaign.

The two are part of 12 in the North West overall that will act as databank hubs for customers struggling with staying online.

A spokesman for the phone company said that people who are eligible for the databank scheme can head to the store and receive a free sim.

They said: “Virgin Media O2 is opening 12 new National Databank Hubs in stores across the North West to help people experiencing poverty get online and stay connected this Christmas and beyond.

“These O2 stores are now part of the National Digital Inclusion Network offering free O2 mobile data, texts and calls to people who need it – regardless of their mobile operator.

“With these stores becoming National Databank Hubs, Virgin Media O2 has now rolled out the National Databank to all its O2 stores across the country.

“People who are eligible can receive a free O2 SIM with 25GB of monthly data for 12 months – which is enough for around 275 hours of internet browsing per month.

“It means people experiencing data poverty can access essential websites and manage everyday tasks, such as booking medical appointments, applying for work, and online training, and can keep in touch with their loved ones over the festive period and beyond.”

Virgin Media O2 launched the National Databank – which is like a food bank but for data – with the UK’s leading digital inclusion charity, Good Things Foundation, in 2021.

There are now around 3,000 National Databanks Hubs across the country, with O2 connecting more than 200,000 people nationwide.

To find out more about Good Things Foundation visit: https://www.goodthingsfoundation.org/