Thanks to a partnership between Donate IT, Frome Medical Practice and Frome Town Council, families supported through the council’s Welcome Hub have received 12 refurbished iMac desktop computers and a laptop, generously donated by the Digital Poverty Alliance (DPA).
Through the Welcome Hub, which is part of Somerset’s Welcome to All Partnership, families settling into life in Frome can access practical help and guidance, including support to get online when needed. The computers will help families access education, employment opportunities, healthcare and essential online services.
Frome Town Councillor and Donate IT Trustee Anne Hills said: “This is a wonderful example of community action in practice. By working together, we’re helping families access the tools they need while reducing waste and giving technology a valuable second life.”
Simon Barfoot, founder of Donate IT, said: “We’re hugely grateful to the Digital Poverty Alliance for donating these iMacs and helping us give them a valuable second life. Working with Frome Town Council and Frome Medical Practice means we can get technology into the hands of families who need it, with local support to help them make the most of it. These computers can open doors to learning, employment and essential services, as well as helping families stay connected.”
Will Palmer, Digital Connector at Frome Medical Practice, said: “This latest distribution builds on the partnership between Donate IT, Frome Town Council and the Frome Medical Practice Digital Connector Service, which works to tackle digital exclusion by connecting people with technology and support. Frome Medical Practice is committed to tackling health inequalities within our community, recognising that digital health inequalities are an increasingly important part of that challenge.”
Anyone with unwanted laptops, tablets, smartphones or other digital devices can donate them at Frome Town Hall during opening hours. Donated items are securely data-wiped before being refurbished and redistributed to people who need them, or responsibly recycled if they cannot be reused.
Separate to this latest donation from the Digital Poverty Alliance, the most recent Tech Amnesty held at Frome Town Hall collected an impressive 527 unwanted digital devices, including 240 phones, 99 laptops and 94 tablets, weighing more than a tonne in total. To find out more about Donate IT, visit donateit.co.uk.
