10 tablets donated to Pudsey charity for elderly after generosity of residents in computer scheme

More than 400 Pudsey schoolchildren will now be able to access the internet from home after the computer shop transformed hundreds of laptops donated by the public.

Pudsey residents rallied behind the cause - previously reported by the YEP - and donated an array of old laptops and devices which would otherwise not have been usable.

Residents used a drop off point at the front of the store and adhered to all coronavirus restrictions - even offering to taxi devices from residents' homes.

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The schools were given ownership of the devices before passing them on to students in need.

The initiative has allowed the staff at the shop to remain working without using the furlough scheme.

Extra staff were even taken on to deal with the sheer number of donations from the generous community.

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Now, it has been announced that 10 tablets have been purchased with the money recouped from selling unusable donations.

These have been donated to MHA Communities Pudsey - a charity helping the elderly to live at home.

The charity said: "We would like to say a huge thank you to the Pudsey Computer Project and Councillor Simon Seary for purchasing ten new tablets and cases for our scheme.

"We are working hard to enable older people in Pudsey to access digital platforms and these tablets will enable us to reach out to more people.

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"Once we have set these up they will be ready to be loaned to our members, if you or someone you know is interested in using one of these devices then please get in touch."

The scheme has been supported across the town, with hundreds of people benefiting with new devices.

The laptops are now set to be used to enable the charity to 'reach out to more people'.