Wiltshire Digital Drive hits laptop donation milestone
Company helping families and schools struggling with lack of technology
Last updated 18th Mar 2021
Wiltshire Digital Drive is celebrating after having 2,000 pieces of tech donated since January of this year!
The Community Interest Company fixes old laptops and tablets handed into them and then distributes them to children and families across the county that need them.
Three organisations, Priority IT, Naturally Social and Turner and Partners, launched Wiltshire Digital Drive last March.
Since then they have seen the company grow and they now have 11 "donation stations" across the county including two in Salisbury.
So far more than 650 devices have been handed out.
Kieran Thomas, co-director of Wiltshire Digital Drive, said:
"When we first had the idea back in March 2020, we never thought it would become this big. Owning an IT company, and having the technical knowledge, meant my team and I could safely wipe, refurbish and set the laptops back up ready to be used by someone else. We didn't realise the digital divide in Wiltshire was so large and that's where Natalie and her team used their skills to help scale the project up to where it is now."
GENEROUS SUPPORT
After being featured on BBC Breakfast, laptops were sent from Manchester, Bournemouth, Peterborough, Southampton and Wales, as well as Wiltshire, to help the charity.
The Trafalgar School in Downton is one of the schools to benefit, it was given 5 laptops earlier this year.
PLEA TO KEEP SUPPORTING
Natalie Sherman, co-director of Wiltshire Digital Drive,said:
"With students heading back to school now people think this scheme will end and that laptops have to be sent back- this is not the case. Technology is an important part of the world today and schools, along with community groups and other organisations, still need this equipment to help the families they support.
We know there will be groups of people shielding for quite some time yet and who's lives can be enhanced by technology. For example, Alzheimers and dementia care homes have been using the machines to help show their residents family photos and talk via Zoom. Adult learners, who haven't received support from the Government, can benefit from the laptops and there are lots of organisations helping people who could benefit from completing day to day tasks online, like applying for jobs for example. These groups are still eligible to receive a laptop and we want to help them all. Our mission is to bridge the digital divide in the county, and we won't stop until we achieve that.
We can't really say thank you enough to all the people and companies who have got involved and helped out either by donating a laptop, money or their time. It really has been a community effort and we are so grateful."
You can find the details of their donation points by visiting the Wiltshire Digital Drive website.