Age Range:  12 to 19 years old inclusive.  However, MattDotCom would try to help a teenager beyond 19 years old  if they were still in full time education or studying at the Open University, if they were diagnosed before 19 years old.

Area:  Lincolnshire (Humber to the Wash), Rutland, Nottinghamshire and South Yorkshire.  Major towns and cities include Lincoln, Skegness, Louth, Boston, Spalding, Grantham, Stamford, Gainsborough, Grimsby, Scunthorpe, Nottingham, Newark, Retford, Derby, Oakham, Sheffield, Rotherham and Doncaster.  To work out if you are in our current catchment area put a compass point on Lincoln Cathedral and set your compass to 50 mile radius, if you live within the circle we will try and help you.

Who can apply for a loan machine?  An application for the loan of a laptop or home system has to made through a member of your ward nursing staff or by your community nurse or your social worker.  All children's wards and hospital social work departments in our current catchment area have been sent application forms and information sheets.  We have also sent information to all TCT wards in Great Britain.

NOTE FOR STAFF - if you are working with teenagers who are undergoing long term treatment and have not received any application forms and information sheets please contact David Harding-Price.  E-mail -  david@mattdotcom.org.uk

Please note that from January 2007 we will be asking the responsible adult when signing for the equipment to recognise that if the equipment goes missing there will be a financial cost to the responsible adult.

How long can a teenager have a machine for?  In theory for as long as they are unwell and/or unable to attend their normal school or until they have finished their full time education which ever is sooner.
Short term loans for period teenager is incapacitated by trauma and unable to attend school.

Smiles all round as Emma receives her laptop.  Emma was the first recipient in Lincolnshire.  Since then we have helped teenagers across the East Midlands and even further a field.  Up to November 2006 the teenagers we have worked with live in Lincolnshire (23%), Nottinghamshire (31%), Derbyshire (13%), South Yorkshire (23%) Outside catchment area (12%).