Tewkesbury Borough Council has donated 21 laptops to the Gloucestershire VCS Alliance and IT Schools for Africa who will ensure they are shared amongst those in the borough who need them most.
The laptops became surplus to requirements over the lockdown period when the council moved all its laptop users over to a consistent platform. The older hardware on the computers meant that officers could no longer connect easily to the council’s systems whilst working from home. However, after being wiped of all its data, the laptops are still fully functional and are perfect for basic admin tasks and internet browsing.
The council was keen that the laptops were not wasted and sought the help of the Gloucestershire VCS Alliance (an independent voice that informs, strengthens and develops the voluntary and community sector in Gloucestershire) and IT Schools for Africa (a charity that provides e-Learning technology for school students in Africa and the UK) to help distribute them to those most in need of IT equipment.
The laptops have been donated to Mindsong Music for Dementia, Priors Park Neighbourhood Project, Gloucestershire Young Carers and Artshape.
Gloucestershire Young Carers’ Development Manager, Sally Gillespie, said: “We were so pleased to hear we would be receiving laptops for the young carers we support, and the families are really grateful for this wonderful donation. This will be a huge help with school or college work and will reduce isolation by making social interactions between friends so much easier. It will also make home essentials such as shopping much easier for everyone.”
Tewkesbury Borough Council’s head of corporate service, Graeme Simpson, said: “It’s a pleasure to have been able to pass the laptops on so that they can be reused. Teaming up with the VCS Alliance and IT Schools for Africa has been fantastic – they will use the laptops to provide much-needed services or pass them on to help others connect to those services. They will also use the laptops to help people who are currently isolated due to a lack of technology, or to help charities to operate. It’s great to have been able to avoid waste and, in doing so, helped others to connect during such difficult times.”
