A whopping 300 items were kindly donated by the people of Frome to the Tech Amnesty at the Town Hall on Saturday 3rd December. The event held by Donate IT and supported by Frome Medical Practice (FMP) and Frome Town Council, saw residents and businesses dropping off old tech that they no longer needed in order to give it a new lease of life.
Simon Barfoot, Director of Donate IT, said: “It was fantastic to see so many people come along and drop items off; we received a staggering 85 laptops, 20 PCs, 11 cameras, 33 tablets and 131 smart phones! These will all be securely wiped of any data and where possible, will be donated back out to the community.”
Will Palmer, the Digital Connector for the Health Connections Team at FMP added: “We’re thrilled so many took the time to find and donate items they no longer need. Once the items have been refurbished, we will be working with local partners to provide digital access – which can often be a lifeline – to those that need it in this digital age.”
If you were unable to make the amnesty, don’t worry, there is now a drop off box at the Town Hall where items will be held securely until the Donate IT team can collect and wipe it ready to be reused. The Town Hall is open Monday to Thursday 9am – 5pm and Friday 9am – 4:30pm.
Cllr Anne Hills said: “Frome Town Council is committed to this project so a permanent drop off box means anyone can pop by the Town Hall when it’s open to donate old tech. And due to the incredible success of this amnesty, coupled with Christmas being on the horizon, there is a further donation session being held in January. Many people receive new tech for Christmas so we hope that any abandoned old tech can now be re-gifted so someone else can make good use of it.”
If you find yourself hoarding discarded devices following Christmas, make sure you’ve added the next donation session straight to your diaries – it will be held at the Town Hall on Saturday 21st January from 10am – 1pm.
For more information on DonateIT, please visit their website.
