• Swindon & Wiltshire Eco
• Monday January 6 2025
• Author Name: Peter Davison

New tech from Santa? Wiltshire Digital Drive will repurpose your old devices

Wiltshire residents lucky enough to have found a new phone, tablet, or laptop under the tree on Christmas morning are being invited to donate the tech they replaced to Wiltshire Digital Drive.

This Friday (January 10) marks Wiltshire Digital Drive‘s third annual Donate Your Digital Day – helping to reduce landfill and address digital poverty in the county.

Once donated, devices will be refurbished and handed back out to schools, organisations, and charities, to help people access the benefits that technology affords such as education, employment and better wellbeing.

Natalie Luckham, chief executive at Wiltshire Digital Drive, said: “We had such a positive response to previous Donate Your Digital Days. In 2022 we received 1,000 donated devices in just one day! We had a break last year but we’re back for 2025.

“So many people receive new laptops and tablets for Christmas, or treat themselves in the Black Friday or Boxing Day sales, now is the perfect time to let us have your old tech. By giving it to us, not only will the device help another member of our community, but it will also stop it going to landfill.

“The figures speak for themselves. Since we began our mission in 2020, we’ve given more than 3,500 school children, families and organisations a laptop or computer. Imagine how many more we could help if we all worked together.

“And it’s not just members of the public that can get involved; we’re also asking businesses who are looking at upgrading their IT to consider donating their old tech to us.”

Local businesses across Wiltshire will be opening their doors to become drop off points for the donated items. They can be taken to:

• Naturally Social, Melksham
• Aster Housing, Devizes
• Ford dealership, Trowbridge
• Hearing & Mobility Store, Marlborough / Swindon / Wroughton
• Household Waste & Recycling Centre, Swindon
• Castle Sundborn, Malmesbury
• Godolphin School, Salisbury
• Retro Relics Games Café, Market Lavington
• The Mind Tree Café, Rowde
• Town Councils in Bradford On Avon, Tidworth, and Calne
• The Home Guard Club, Warminster

Anyone wishing to help who doesn’t have a device to give, can donate to the non-profit’s Gift of Tech Crowdfunder page. A £45 donation will cover all the parts needed to refurbish one laptop, with all donations match funded by the Aviva Community Fund.