DigiLocal distribute £325k of donated tech to Bristol students in need

DigiLocal distribute £325k of donated tech to Bristol students in need

Posted on: 25 Feb 2021

Over 650 laptops have been donated to make online learning more accessible during lockdown.

 

Bristol-based charity DigiLocal have distributed over £325,000 worth of laptops to disadvantaged young people in and around Bristol, weeks after launching a donation scheme in response to UK school closures.

 

The team have been hard at work throughout the current lockdown, gathering tech donations to be given out to low-income families who may otherwise be unable to get their kids online to access online lessons.

 

Close to 700 laptops have been donated by the Bristol public in recent weeks as part of DigiLocal's initiative to tackle digital poverty.

 

 

Launched in January, DigiLocal's efforts to gather and redistribute donated tech have received support from communities across Bristol, with several churches and places of worship setting up as temporary donation points for the public.

 

The charity have fully repurposed every piece of donated tech - giving it a full data cleanse and installing new software and operating systems - before working alongside various community groups and social organisations to get them to young people most in need of support.

 

Speaking on this week's milestone, DigiLocal CEO, John Bradford, said: “The COVID-19 pandemic has crystalised digital poverty as a widely-recognised issue for young people across the UK.

 

“We were able to quickly address this in our region by working with key partners. The generosity of the Bristol public and businesses has been fantastic.

 

“We’re now building a sustainable system to ensure that no young person is excluded from education through lack of digital access.”

 

For more information on DigiLocal, or to find out how you can support the charity in the coming weeks, head to their website or follow them on Twitter.


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Article by:

Matt Robson

 

Editor - 365Bristol.com & LOUD Magazine
 

Matt is a Journalism graduate and writer, passionate about supporting Bristol music, art and independent business. Get in touch via email at matt@365bristol.com.