Four hostels for homeless people in Kingston had WiFi installed for free by local WiFi company Wifinity.

As part of the firm’s community initiative “Good Connections”, the whole company worked for a day to ensure the installations were all complete as soon as possible.

Along with installing WiFi free of charge (including all the necessary kit), the superfast WiFi provider is also offering the hostels free internet service until at least 2020.

Mark Parry, CEO of Wifinity, said: “The whole team at Wifinity wanted to be involved in this project. Internet access is now a basic utility. We all rely on the internet to search and apply for jobs, to work, and to keep in touch with friends and family. People in temporary accommodation need access to help them get back on their feet.”

The installations took place earlier this month, on December 15.

Mr Parry said: “Social isolation can be particularly hard at this time of year and we wanted to ensure that hostel residents had fast and reliable Wifi in place in time for the holidays.”

The four hostels receiving the free WiFi are: Thomas Pooley Court, Saxon House Hostel, Four Oaks Hostel and 33 Gloucester Road hostel.

Jerome Kerry of Kingston Council said: “We understand the importance that internet access plays in creating a connected community. By bringing free WiFi to four Kingston hostels, Wifinity is bringing much-needed amenities to residents.”