Padiham IT firm's appeal to Lancashire businesses for unwanted computers

Rapid IT’s ‘Tech 4 All Kids’ campaign takes donated devices, securely wipes and refurbishes them and then offers them to local schools with pupils who are struggling to work from home due to a lack of IT equipment.

Jack Bannister, Rapid IT Managing Director, said: “We’ve been overwhelmed by the response from the local community with regards to the ‘Tech 4 All Kids’ campaign.

“We know from speaking to schools we have already donated to that the devices are making a real difference to children who would otherwise have to share with siblings or work from a mobile phone.

“While we’ve had hundreds of generous donations so far, we now want to make a specific appeal to businesses, as their equipment generally has a lot of life left in it when retired and comes in multiples.

“Such devices could make a huge difference to the education of children in our communities who don’t have access to adequate technology.”

One business which has already made an extraordinary donation to the campaign is Burnley construction firm BAAS, who arrived at Rapid IT’s gates with 20 computers to donate.

BAAS Managing Director Haydn Williams said: “As soon as we heard about the campaign, we wanted to get involved. The whole pandemic has been so hard on everyone and we knew schools in particular were struggling.

“We were investing in new computers anyway, so it was an obvious choice for us to partner with a local business that was supporting local children.”

In a message to other businesses who may also be in the process of investing in new computers, Haydn added: “I’d say to any company that is upgrading their devices to get on board with the campaign.

“Once computers have been replaced, the old ones often just sit in cupboards gathering dust, so why not hand them over to Rapid for refurbishment?

“Let’s all do our bit to give local children the best learning opportunities possible at this difficult time.”

Anyone wishing to donate a laptop should go www.rapidit.co.uk/donate to register their details and find out where to drop the devices off.

If those donations are sizeable, arrangements can be made for collection.