Residents in South Leeds are being asked for their help to ensure children across the area are able to access online learning during this latest lockdown.
Local Councillors Kim Groves, Judith Blake and Paul Truswell are launching an appeal for people and businesses to donate unwanted laptops or tablets that can be reconditioned and distributed to local schools.
Children and families across the city are struggling with remote learning as they don’t have access to laptops or tablets on which to complete their lessons and the concern is that children will be falling behind in their learning, the Councillors hope that local people and businesses will step forward and ensure that children in South Leeds are given the help they need.
Anyone who has a device that they wish to donate needs to firstly re-set it to factory settings, wipe it with an antiseptic wipe and drop it off at Asda Middleton where it will be collected and reconditioned by West Yorkshire Digital, including professional wiping of the hard drive
Laptops or tablets need to be less than five years old, in full working order and come complete with a charger.
Councillor Kim Groves (Middleton Park) said:
“This latest lockdown has really highlighted the inequality in access to digital devices for some of our children. Home schooling is incredibly difficult but it is made so much harder if families don’t have the technology needed to join in with online lessons.
“Councillors Blake, Truswell and I are very grateful to both Asda and West Yorkshire Digital for their assistance with this and would encourage any local residents with an unwanted device to please donate it so that children in South Leeds can access their lessons.”
The Councillors appeal follows a call out last month from Ben Kellett, who decided to take action after seeing the success of similar projects elsewhere.
Again, the goal is to help children in the South Leeds area without access to a device for home learning to get one.
Donations of old devices would be greatly appreciated as would volunteers to help clean and wipe hard drives, or in any way possible.
For more information or to donate an old device please contact Ben on Twitter @ben_rdfn or by email rdfn@hotmail.com
This post is based on a press release issued by Middleton Park Councillors
