A CHARITY and an academy have received laptops thanks to a council’s programme.
King Alfred School and the In Charley’s Memory charity (ICM), both based in Highbridge, have received upgraded laptops this week through a Sedgemoor District Council initiative.
Cllr Alistair Hendry attended the event to deliver 18 laptops to the school and four to the charity.
He said: “Sedgemoor District Council are very happy to be donating these laptops to such good causes. We hope both bodies benefit from these.”
Dawn Carey of ICM said: “We are so pleased that we have been donated these laptops, we had it on our wish list for more laptops as it can be difficult when so many counsellors are in. This is going to make such a difference and will be a great asset to ICM.”
A message from King Alfred School read: “We are extremely grateful to Sedgemoor District Council for their donation of our new laptops, they really are a very grateful addition here for our pupils.”
A Sedgemoor District Council spokesperson said: “With the pace of technology advances ever increasing, it is vital that public authorities keep up to make sure that we can serve our communities to the best of our ability.
“That is why there is a rolling programme of laptop/computer upgrades on each IT device between every five years and seven years, depending on the item of equipment.
“SDC have always had a process whereby any old IT equipment is ‘recycled’ to any registered charity, school or community group. All machines are completely wiped of any data.
“Once handed over, they become the responsibility of the receiving organisation and are not maintained in anyway by SDC.
“Obviously, demand often outstrips what is available, but by this process, we make sure that the investment made into new equipment carries on, once the devices have to be replaced.
“As a reminder, if any member of the public has obsolete IT or electronic devices, Somerset Waste Partnership’s Mr Fixy will be glad to receive donations when out and about or items can be dropped off at Bridgwater Town Council’s offices in the Town Hall, High Street, Bridgwater.
“All donated tech items are repaired, with all data wiped, and then donated to local schools and groups.
"Under the WEEE (or e-waste) directive which regulates the amount of waste electrical and electronic equipment - if we have to scrap any broken or no longer viable IT equipment, we have a contracted company where we send the equipment to be recycled, so that none of our e-waste goes into landfill."
The following can be handed into reception in Bridgwater Town Hall.
- Laptops
- Tablets
- Mobile/Smart Phones
- PCs, Desktops, Towers
- Hard Drives / External disc drives
- Servers
- Game Consoles and accessories
- PC Combo (All-in-one) type computer
- Digital cameras
- Scientific calculators
- PDAs
- Routers
- Docking Stations / Port Replicators
- Freeview recorder or CCTV Devices
- Smart speakers /smart watches
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here