County council gives hundreds of laptops to vulnerable people in Oxfordshire

300 laptops were recently given to the Oxford homeless charity Apsire.

Watch: 300 laptops gifted by council to help vulnerable people get online

The 300 laptops the council’s IT service recently gave to the Getting Oxfordshire Online initiative will go to people accessing food banks, refugees, and people at risk of homelessness.

Getting Oxfordshire Online is a project that recycles older technology to be given to charities and works as part of the council’s plan to reduce inequality in the county.

Cllr Glynis Phillips, Oxfordshire County Council’s cabinet member for corporate services, said: "I am extremely proud of the council’s IT Service team behind this donation.

"Improving digital inclusion is a key priority for the council, reducing inequalities and helping people access vital support at the touch of a button, giving them the power to help themselves. It truly is the gift that keeps on giving."

The Getting Oxfordshire Online project refurbishes and distributes the devices and also helps people use them by offering the training and support they need to get online.

The first batch of laptops have already been donated to homeless charities in the county, and a further 40 will be given to recently arrived refugees in Oxfordshire.

Ben Tuppen, who leads the Getting Oxfordshire Online programme, said: "We welcome donations from big organisations as well as members of the public. Each laptop has the potential to change a person’s life, so if you get a new device this Christmas, please consider gifting your old one to our programme."

There are three Getting Oxfordshire Online hubs, where people can drop off laptops, tablets, and phones. These can be found at Bicester Green in Bicester, Aspire in Oxford, and SOFEA in Didcot.