The Co-op Member Pioneer for Congleton and Holmes Chapel, Alison Wright, is encouraging locals to donate their old or spare laptops and tablets to Tech4Kidz – a project that supplies this equipment to young people so that they can get the most out of remote learning while schools are closed.

As we entered this latest lockdown, Alison very quickly realised that lots of homes were struggling with not having enough laptops.

She said: "Although schools reported a very high engagement rate from students, it became clear that many young people were accessing their online lessons using their phones or even game consoles.

"Obviously, this is not ideal and makes completing any self-learning, research, assessments and project work very difficult, and it is a situation we would like our local community to help with – many of us have upgraded our laptops and tablets, and still have the old hardware at home.

"Or maybe you work for a company that has a stock of redundant equipment that they would be willing to donate?"

If you have a spare laptop or tablet that you would like to donate, please bring it to the Bromley Road Co-op store in a carrier bag, complete with chargers, and it to a member of staff.

You can also arrange a socially distanced collection if you prefer.

All the devices will then be checked by IT Face who will clear the equipment, make sure it's safe to use and set it up with all the necessary software.

This is a truly fantastic initiative that is helping the younger generation in our communities by giving them the best opportunity to be home-schooled during lockdown.

So, if you do have any laptops or tablets that you would like to donate, you can drop them off at the Bromley Road Co-op store in Congleton, email [email protected] or call Alison on 07881 886176.

To find out more about Co-op's Member Pioneers, and how you can co-operate with them in your community, follow the link here.