Recycling laptops for students, refugees
& those who are digitally excluded
Free laptops for students, refugees & those in need
Families in Woking have had a difficult time over the past couple of years through 'lockdown' and subsequently from additional disruption since returning to school.
Children have been expected to engage in remote learning with an expectation that families can provide suitable devices for all children in the household to use, along with suitable broadband.
The issues faced are well documented.
Schools in Woking have been providing materials to pupils via Google Classroom and other online learning portals.
There are also folk who cannot afford (or have access to) IT that we are keen to help. To this end, we have partnered with Emmaus Road where we receive referrals for those who would directly benefit from a laptop or other IT equipment.
More recently with the Ukranian crisis ongoing and Woking welcoming families into their own homes, we are starting to receive requests for laptops to assist with learning English and daily online tasks.
We can provide laptops in 3 main states; with Windows 10, as a Chromebook or completely blank (for you to put your standard build on according to your need)
Further details on the Chromebook offering:
Neverware are a company, now a part of Google, who provide an operating system called 'CloudReadyOS' which will turn older computers into 'Chromebooks'.
As well as the paid-for Education and Enterprise editions used by business, Neverware also provide a free 'Home' edition of their operating system. This still works well on older, less powerful computers.
Families may already have older hardware lying at home that struggles to run Windows 8 or 10. Businesses or Individuals may have older unused systems which they would like to donate rather than destroy.
On an older computer running CloudReadyOS, children can log in to their school Google Classroom accounts and online portals and complete the learning tasks set by their teachers using Google Docs, Office 365 etc.
The process of installing CloudReadyOS wipes all data from the hard-drive of the donated system.
ROC Woking will provide a service where:
- Individuals or businesses can donate working laptops inc power supply (preferably already running Windows10)
- These donated systems are wiped and then have Windows 10 or Neverware CloudReadyOS Home Edition installed/re-installed
- Families or community organisations can register for donated computers via their schools
- Individuals, agencies or faith groups can register for donated computers via Emmaus Road 'Love Your Neighbour' or other similar schemes
Donate a Computer
Drop off point
Please drop off any laptops (plus charger!) at Mascot Hub
Mascot Hub
43 Dartmouth Avenue
Sheerwater
Woking
GU21 5PE
in a sealed plastic bag (ideally clear)
Open Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday (10am to 4pm)
Make a donation
ROC Woking Laptops4Schools Appeal
If you don’t have a laptop to donate but would still like to help, we also need cash donations to pay for 4G connectivity and laptop spares (for repairs). A laptop is only useful if it can access online learning materials and 12% of young people (700,000 nationally) do not have access at home.
Payments should be paid to Maybury & Sheerwater Community Trust – MASCOT, Account number 00021593, Sort code 40-52-40. Please mark up your gift clearly for the Laptops4Schools appeal.
Developing the spirit of partnership in Woking