Appeal issued for IT to help the digitally excluded

Have you got an old/unused laptop or tablet you could donate to a Derbyshire charity? Rural Action Derbyshire has teamed up with PCrefurb, to pilot a scheme to refurbish donated devices to then get them out to people who would otherwise be digitally excluded. 

Digital Exclusion, is where a section of people do not have access and capacity to use digital services. The delivery of services is ‘digital by default’ these days meaning if you don’t have a device or you have one, but you are not confident to use it, then you are at a significant disadvantage. 

Donations from the public are designed to provide free refurbished digital devices to qualifying people and Members of the Digital Support Derbyshire Network from January 2024.

The refurbished devices will then be available to those who deliver digital support, and are in need of equipment for their training and workshops.

To make sure there are enough devices to help deliver this digital support, there is a drive to obtain as many suitable devices as possible as soon as possible. This pilot only runs until the end of March.

Charlotte Winterbottom, Policy & Partnerships Manager at Rural Action Derbyshire said: “This pilot will be building on the fantastic track record that PCrefurb has and will enable us to expand the service into the rest of Derbyshire.”

The pilot scheme will initially be focussed on helping groups to obtain devices to be able to offer digital support. But it is hoped that with time, support and continued donations, individual users may also be able to benefit from a refurbished device too. There will also be limited access to Wifi Hotspots and Vodafone data sims.

Helen Melhuish, Chief Officer at PCrefurb explained: "We're very pleased to be working with Rural Action Derbyshire and the Digital Support Derbyshire network. By refurbishing and distributing donated IT equipment and providing access to basic digital skills training, together we can continue to improve the digital inclusion of Derbyshire residents and VCSE organisations."  

If you would like to donate your old and unused digital devices, or you know of any organisations that might have a number of devices to donate, send e-mail to info @ ruralactionderbyshire.org.uk or call 01629 592970. You can also check the criteria on this link or contact PCrefurb for further information: