Companies big and small are being urged to donate unused computers to support disadvantaged children and young people to do their school work.

During the coronavirus pandemic, Warrington Borough Council has joined forces with Laptops for Kids – a charitable organisation that facilitates the donation, secure erasure, and distribution of used digital devices – to support children from disadvantaged backgrounds, so they can access the technology they need to participate in remote learning.

At the start of the pandemic, schools had to close and adapt to providing digital remote learning to the majority of pupils, even though some young people weren’t able to access to the internet at home. We passionately believe that every child deserves an equal opportunity to education and access to the tools they need to succeed.

Warrington Borough Council’s chief executive, Professor Steven Broomhead MBE, said: “We want to ensure that every child has safe access to the internet so they can fulfil their educational potential. In a time of national crisis, the public and private sectors in Warrington came together to help solve this problem. I’d like to thank the businesses that have donated equipment so far and urge all local businesses to donate anything they can to the project. We need your continued support to help close this digital divide.”

Laptops for Kids has been running similar projects across the country, supported by local authorities and businesses, to ensure young people who may be at risk of falling behind with their education to have access to the internet and equipment at home to support their learning.

So far, businesses such as Jacobs, Vaultex, and Sellafield Ltd have donated a total of 465 laptops, desktop computers, and other pieces of equipment to support the scheme and some of Warrington’s more vulnerable children.

Jacobs Critical Mission Solutions International Senior Vice President, Clive White said: “The pandemic has made us all more aware that some children need much better access to IT if they are to succeed at school. We are supporting this excellent initiative as part of our commitment to deliver social and economic benefits to the communities where we operate.”

For more information about Laptops for Kids, visit ltfk.co.uk/warrington. If your business would like to donate, or if you would like to find out more about the project, please complete the survey at smartsurvey.co.uk/s/wbclaptopsforkidsproject or email the council’s education team at education@warrington.gov.uk