Charity calls for tech donations but warns it must be usable
Wiltshire Digital Drive refurbishes devices to bridge the digital divide
A charity helping people being held back by a lack of access to technology says it needs continued donations of usable devices.
Wiltshire Digital Drive, which refurbishes and redistributes technology, recently took 67 donated devices from Warminster Town Council, one of its many donation stations across the county.
But Director Natalie Luckham says they need phones and laptops that are relatively recent.
"The two main things we need at the moment would be mobile phones that are not any older than three to four years and laptops which are running at least, you know, Windows 8 or upwards," she said.
These age devices will mean they can ensure that the latest apps can be put on phones and the Windows 11 operating system, or a Google Chrome equivalent, can be installed, allowing people to access the internet on their devices.
She said there can be some confusion over their role, with people perhaps thinking the organisation recycles technology.
"We are very much working in the reuse and redistribution sector. So we are looking to breathe new life into tech that is usable and give that to other people who don't have access to tech," she said.
Natalie added that donated devices need to be free of password protection and without google or apple logins, as that would prevent them being redistributed.
"We don't have the funds or the resources to fix broken screens, broken webcams, keys that are stuck, all that kind of stuff. So we're really asking for people to think before they donate about what they're giving us and whether it's truly usable."
Town council partnerships "a match made in heaven"
Natalie said the 67 devices donated to her organisation as a major boost for their efforts to bridge the digital divide.
The town council is one of many donation stations across the county, with Natalie telling us she's seeing more local authorities wanting to work with them.
She said: "A lot more town councils are getting involved with our cause, which is really useful, not only for us, but I feel for members of the public who may have a laptop they wish to donate and it makes it a lot easier for them to get someone that they can donate it to.
"These relationships, they're just a match made in heaven for us because they're really willing to support our cause, we're willing to shout about them and vice versa and also it gets members of the local community in through the doors of their local town council and hopefully that supports the town councils with engaging more with their citizens."
An issue across many generations
Digital exclusion can affect people from all walks of life and be a significant barrier in the modern world.
Natalie said the applications for a device are varied and from a wide-range of communities.
"Not having access to a laptop in this era means that people aren't accessing education. Some people aren't accessing employment. Some people are more isolated," she told us.
She added that for many of us, especially those who have numerous devices in their household, can take that access for granted at times.
"We hope that by providing devices to people who otherwise couldn't afford one, it means that we're providing them with the same opportunities to access, you know, independence, to start their career journeys, to further their education, and as a result, that will benefit them and their communities that they live in as well."
Local town councils, libraries, GPs and other support services can help people with a referral to Wiltshire Digital Drive.