Leighton Buzzard IT firm recycling laptops to help with home schooling

IT company JamCrackers UK is restoring second-hand computers so they can be used by youngsters.

The majority of primary and secondary pupils appear set to carry out learning online until at least March due to the national lockdown imposed to slow the spread of coronavirus.

And with some children struggling to access their work remotely, JamCrackers hopes to provide a valuable service.

Director Richard Latimer said: “Our aim is to provide the children in Leighton Buzzard who can’t afford laptops, the ability to access vital resources that allow them to learn from home.

“To do this, we have contacted Greenleas School, who very kindly offered to get in touch with other schools in the local area to find out which children were most in need of the laptops.”

JamCrackers UK specialises in providing managed IT support, Cloud services and laptop, PC and Mac repair at their shop in Leighton Buzzard. Luckily the pandemic hasn’t affected trade in the way it has some businesses, one of the reasons JamCrackers wants to help.

Richard added: “To date, we have received over 40 devices, mostly laptops. Some of them aren’t able to be repurposed, but 12 of the laptops have been reinstalled with new operating systems, and were delivered to Greenleas on Monday (January 25).

“Our campaign has also caught the eye of two local companies, Kennedy Electrical and data management firm BCDM, who both offered their services free of charge. Kennedy Electrical are now PAT testing chargers, and BCDM are ensuring all the data is securely wiped from each device.

“Thank you to everyone who donated so far. If anyone has an unused laptop lying around, we would love you to bring it in. Whatever the condition, we will do our best to get it working and install the relevant operating system, such as Windows 10 or Chromium OS, so that the recipient can access whichever remote-learning platform they need.”

To donate, call on 01525 331060 or email at [email protected]