Gates Foundation gives £2.5m to help e-educate the UK

The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation has donated £2.5m to help set up 47 Information and Communication Technology centres in deprived areas around Britain.

The donation follows discussions between the foundation and Mathew Evans, chairman of the UK government's Library and Information Commission after it received funding from the lottery.

Arts Minister, Alan Howarth, praised the co-operation of the two parties claiming the project will give old and young access to the Internet and "bridge the gap between information rich and information poor".