The donation, including 10 PCs and 3 laptops, will be distributed to local families identified as living in the digital divide. The donated devices have come to the end of their business life but will be repurposed and given out to support young people and their families without direct access to technology at home.
Steve Preston, Managing Director at Heat Recruitment, says: “It’s great to be able to support people within the community and we will continue to do so as we work with Bristol Sport Foundation. The past year has been extremely challenging and uncertain, but if there is one thing that I have seen and learnt, it’s that community spirit is one of essence and has grown stronger than ever before.
“At Heat we focus strongly on our culture and what it means, and we feel the work the Bristol Sport Foundation do to better the lives of people within the community represents what we stand for. We truly love getting involved with various foundations and organisations that are encouraging people to get healthy and give back.
“We believe that a positive approach is fundamental to a community, where the support and donations are greatly received. We are so pleased to be involved with the BSF and supporting the work of DigiLocal, knowing that collectively as a team, we continue to make online access available to those in need.”
We work with our partners DigiLocal, a Bristol based charity that support under-represented young people to discover and develop their digital talents.
John Bradford, CEO of DigiLocal says: “We have always sought to work with key community partners that support young people who might not see themselves in the tech industries. A key part of what we do is repurpose donated laptops from individuals and corporate partners.
“Working with our partners we have repurposed and onward gifted over 1,200 laptops since June 2020. Each laptop is making a positive difference to a young person’s educational journey and the Bristol Sport Foundation is a great partner for us.”
As well as repurposing devices, DigiLocal run free technology clubs by providing equipment, project guides, and additional resources, along with volunteer and parent management services to communities.
A young person who was previously experiencing technology access problems at home, has felt a real benefit since being gifted a laptop and participating in a DigiLocal club. His mother says: “The coding club set up with the volunteers is excellent, and what’s even better is the fact that the charity has given us a laptop which means my son could also use it for his schoolwork, as we were having problems trying to use a smart phone.”
BSF’s Head of Operations, Rob Webber, says: “We are extremely grateful to Steve and the Heat Recruitment team for their second generous donation. Our Digital Inclusion Project provides opportunity to bridge the digital divide which has become increasingly apparent throughout the pandemic.
“We are also aware that there are families within our communities who do not have access to a device that supports our BSF content including educational tools and interactive games. So as part of the wider project, the donated devises are pre-loaded with the BSF app and web app. Using our extensive community network, we identify the families in the most urgent need and donate the devices for use. We cannot solve this issue overnight, but each donated device makes a real difference and is very much appreciated.”
Please contact Ben Breeze, Bristol Sport Foundation’s Chief Community Officer, to find out how your organisation can make a donation to this important appeal and how we match every donation with clearly identified urgent need throughout Greater Bristol.
