15th March 2021
Throughout the various lockdowns and COVID19 restrictions over the past 12 months we have been concerned about the plight of school children who have not had access to computers for home based learning. Many well-off families already have one or more desktops, laptops, or tablets. Poorer families may have been given laptops by their school, but other families – those who are just about managing – have really struggled because there has been no state-provided help for them. That’s where we stepped in!
Mike and John from Axe Valley Men’s Shed have repurposed over 170 laptops donated by the local community. After any private data has been wiped, we install Google ChromeOS to make them into ChromeBooks, and give the good PAT safety-checked machines to Cheddar Vale Lions who manage distribution to local pupils across Cheddar, Axbridge, Wedmore, Shipham and the surrounding area. The remainder, which were unfit for use, have been responsibly recycled by Byteback IT in Bristol.
