280 refurbished laptops were handed over to the charity 2econd Chance at our offices in Colindale yesterday
On Wednesday 16 July, a total of 280 refurbished laptops were handed over to the charity 2econd Chance – who work with the council to ensure computers get a longer life by redistributing them to residents who otherwise struggle to get online.
The donated laptops are a combination of council-owned stock, as well as a number from our partners at Capita, who provide IT services for Barnet. On Wednesday, Councillor Zahra Beg, Cabinet Member for Equalities, Poverty Reduction and the Voluntary and Community Sector, was joined by the council’s Digital Champion, Councillor Rishikesh Chakraborty, to hand over the laptops to 2econd Chance at the council’s headquarters in Bristol Avenue, Colindale.
As well as going to residents who need them most, some of the laptops will also be used to help facilitate community workshops with BOOST, to enable some of our older residents to become more digital-savvy. IT colleagues from Capita have also been working collaboratively with our partners at The Barnet Group to deliver a number of Digital Champion workshops in local libraries, helping residents with technology including everything from accessing websites, to staying safe online, and understanding artificial intelligence.
Councillor Beg said: “We are working across a number of strands to reduce poverty in Barnet through our ‘Towards a Fairer Barnet’ strategy, and helping people get online is part of this. This is a really important and practical way of helping residents to become more tech-literate, which is so important in today’s fast moving online world. By tackling digital exclusion, we are also doing our bit to help residents access education and skills training, and find and apply for employment opportunities.”
Capita Partnership Director Steve McNally added: “It’s great to see these laptops making a difference and I’m really proud of the work our team does supporting our local community.”
Adam Goodman, co-founder of 2econd Chance, said: “With this initiative, we will be able to help a lot of people in the community. When 2econd Chance started in 2019, we were getting two to three laptops a month, now it’s around 40. And we work with around 50 vulnerable clients. At the moment we donate 25% of the laptops we receive and the remainder we sell to generate income for the charity. What I would really like in the future is for us to be able to give out 100% of the laptop donations we receive. 2econd Chance became an official charity in December 2024, this has helped open up the organisations we work with from Barnet Council to other large organisations.”
ENDS
Notes to editors:
- Pictures of the laptop handover are available on request.
- Please note, 2econd Chance provides one in four laptops free of charge to digitally excluded residents, with the rest sold at affordable prices.