The Digital Poverty Alliance (DPA), Hounslow Council and PayByPhone have launched Donate Your Device in Hounslow, creating a local route for unused laptops, tablets and smartphones to be passed on to people in the borough who need a device of their own.
The initiative, which forms part of the DPA’s Tech4Communities programme, gives residents and small businesses a local way to donate technology they no longer use. Four public drop-off points are now open at Hanworth Air Park Leisure Centre and Library, Isleworth Leisure Centre and Library, Hounslow House and Chiswick Community Hub and Library.
Donate Your Device has been designed around a simple problem. Many households and workplaces have laptops, tablets or smartphones sitting unused, while other people are trying to manage daily life without reliable access to a suitable device. For someone in that position, being online is not a convenience. It can affect their ability to apply for work, complete coursework, manage appointments, access essential services, and stay connected to the people around them.
Every donated device will be securely wiped and professionally refurbished before being passed on to someone in Hounslow. The process is intended to make donation safe for the person giving the device and useful for the person receiving it.
Elizabeth Anderson, CEO, Digital Poverty Alliance, said Donate Your Device gives people in Hounslow a direct way to respond to digital exclusion in their own community.
“Too many people are still being held back because they do not have access to the basic technology many of us rely on every day,” she said. “A laptop sitting unused at home or in an office could become the device that helps someone move forward with work, learning or everyday life. We are grateful to Hounslow Council and PayByPhone for helping make this possible locally.”
Donations can be made at:
Hanworth Air Park Leisure Centre and Library
Uxbridge Road
Hanworth
TW13 5EG
Isleworth Leisure Centre and Library
Twickenham Road
Isleworth
TW7 7EU
Chiswick Community Hub and Library
Dukes Avenue
Chiswick
W4 2AB
Hounslow House
7 Bath Road
Hounslow
TW3 3EB
Through Tech4Communities, Donate Your Device is helping make digital inclusion more practical at a local level, connecting unused technology with people who need it to take part in everyday life online.