ReTec

We run this project jointly with First Days Children’s Charity and SHARE Wokingham, and with the assistance of Wokingham Borough Libraries. We provide the manpower and the technical knowledge. First Days and SHARE provide the premises and the logistics, First Days and SHARE oversee distribution of the refurbished items, and Wokingham Libraries assist by providing collection points.

We collect used laptop computers and recycle them to families in need, Ukrainian refugees, charities and local non-profit organisations.

So far we have renovated over 100 laptops and donated them to families suffering hardship, and to Ukranian refugees to help them get established in this country.

All laptops are completely wiped, cleaned, refurbished and tested then reset to be like new before being offered to others

We take great care to protect the security of any data you leave on laptops donated to us, and completely erase it before passing it on. However, if you want to erase it yourself before donating, follow these instructions

The process is as follows:

1. Collection: We ask donors to take used laptops to one of our collecting centres (see below). If necessary we can arrange collection
2. Storage: We store the laptops in a secure location until we have time to work on them
3. Wipe all data: The very first thing we do is to completely wipe all data from them
4. Repair/Refurbish: We test each device and carry out any necessary repairs. We can replace any broken or missing parts, then we physically clean the device inside and outside
5. Install software: We supply clean laptops ready for the user to customise. We provide instructions for the user to install a selection of useful free applications including email clients, word processing, spreadsheets and web browsers,
6. Distribution: We donate the refurbished laptops to clients who have been vetted by First Days
7. Support: We give limited technical support to the recipients to ensure they are able to use the devices