Council donates end-of-life laptops to community

Council leader Andy Graham (R) said the computers would "make people’s lives easier to manage"

A council has donated its end-of-life laptops for re-distribution to residents who are most in need of them.

Engineers at West Oxfordshire District Council have given the laptops a new lease of life before they could be distributed by charity Getting Oxfordshire Online.

The council said the donated equipment would be "more than suitable for most personal uses", with engineers ensuring it was recycled correctly.

Ben Tuppin from Getting Oxfordshire Online said the computers could be "life changing " for education, employment search and access to healthcare.

The donated laptops are prepared for distribution at Oxford IT Bank, where they are securely wiped of all data and have their software refreshed, before being passed on to a new home.

Council leader Andy Graham said it was hard for many to believe that "there are still people who are digitally excluded in our communities".

"We can take for granted how IT can enable a whole world of possibilities that not all people are able to access," he said.

He said he was "delighted" that the donation would "make people’s lives easier to manage", helping them to keep in touch with friends and family or complete the weekly food shop.

Mr Tuppin said the charity was "hugely grateful" for the council's ongoing support.

“Our impact report at Getting Oxfordshire Online includes many stories of examples of the differences these devices are making,” he said.

The local charity Oxford IT Bank helps residents in the local community by providing innovative technology solutions.