We're in it Together: Refurbishing 700 laptops for pupils

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A ROTARY group in Newport have started a new project to refurbish 700 laptops to be given to schools across the city.

The club were looking for a project they could do under coronavirus restrictions.

They are planning on acquiring and refurbishing 700 laptops over the next year to repair and upgrade to pass on to pupils at Llanwern High School, Lliswerry High School and John Frost High School, who need support to access online learning during school closures.

Thumbs Up from Year 13 students at John Frost. Iwan Hooper receives a laptop from Newport Uskmouth Rotary

“Covid-19 has affected us all and highlighted many problems - none more than the digital divide that exists in our schools,” said chair of the group Anne Jackson-Bass.

“Too many young people have struggled to access online/blended learning during lockdowns and self-isolation as they do not have the necessary IT equipment.

“We approached the schools that we already had contacts with, through our youth programmes, and were staggered to find that over 700 pupils, in the three High Schools in the most deprived areas of the city, were in this position.

“The protocols and procedures took some time to develop, with quite a few hiccups along the way but they are now in place and we collected our first donated laptop in early September and delivered our first laptops to the schools shortly afterwards.

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“In early December we delivered our 50th laptop and the scheme continues to grow”.

A local IT business, Microsmith, is supporting the project, doing all the upgrade work for free. The rotary group purchase the replacement SSD cards and the occasional battery and charger lead, at an approximate cost of £15 per refurb.

The club has been meeting on Zoom every fortnight and the project has been supported by all members: organising collections, ordering parts, ensuring security is maintained, collecting and delivering laptops – all through lockdowns, firebreaks and self-isolation.

"Funding the project was a big concern as like everyone else our fundraising activities were on hold,” Ms Jackson-Bass added.

“We applied for grants and support from local businesses and received £2,266.66 from Comic Relief, £2,000 from Newport City Homes and have applied for a District Matching Grant.

“Our Christmas Zoom meeting also raised some funds and we are hopeful of further support as the project grows”.

Ruth Jones, MP for Newport West, has worked closely with the club on the project and was quick to highlight it as part of the Argus We’re in it Together campaign, which she has supported since its launch just after Christmas.

“I am really happy to support the Argus’ We’re in it Together Campaign,” she said.

“This pandemic has shown how important it is that we take time to look out for our friends and neighbours and this is a really practical way to do that."

To arrange the collection of your old laptops please contact: enquiries@laptops4homelearning.club.