Access to tech equipment will be a "lifeline" for youngsters forced to learn from home as Leeds scheme giving laptops to disadvantaged families can't keep up with demand

Before Christmas, and in the aftermath of the second national lockdown in November, Ben McKenna started a scheme called Leeds Tech Angels after it became apparent how many children in Leeds and West Yorkshire did not have internet access or the devices to be able to learn at home.

He made an appeal for companies and individuals to donate unwanted, unused and surplus equipment, from laptops to dongles, that could be re-purposed and allocated to youngsters that don't have access to a computer at home.

However, demand is outpacing supply and already yesterday morning he took six referrals in addition to a further 25 over the last two weeks.

Mr McKenna said: "I definitely expect there to be a surge in demand. My daughter is at home and absolutely gutted about schools closing, and she has the tech that she needs, but she’s very disappointed. I can only imagine it will be harder for kids that don’t have access to equipment and want to progress educationally and make the best of their lives. Having access to tech equipment is hugely important. It’s a lifeline to education because what is the alternative? It is a lifeline for anybody trying to take education seriously. It is awful for them to be stuck in this situation."

Despite the Department for Education announcing today that it was in the process of delivering 100,000 laptops to schools over this week, Mr McKenna and others have said it should have been done earlier.

He added: "There will be a spike in demand now, we’ve already seen more requests come in since it was announced, but this could have been sorted between sending them back to school in September and now. It is back to square one. This is where we were in March 2020 and now it is January 2021.It is going to be ruinous for some of these kids, both educationally and for their mental health. There will be damage to kids’ education, and the saddest bit is the kids that don’t have tech will suffer the most."

The Leeds Tech Angels Project, backed by the Yorkshire Evening Post, is led by Digital Access West Yorkshire, with funding from Leeds Community Foundation and support from Ahead Partnership, Leeds City Council and Zero Waste Leeds.

Mr McKenna said the campaign had a renewed relevance and said just one piece of kit could make a difference to the future of some children.

He added: "Christmas is when people would have got machines so if they have anything that’s now spare, they can help us invest in someones’s future. Demand is still coming and not being met one-for-one by people’s offers of supplying stuff."

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