What We Do - Power to Connect, Technology For All

Empowering Individuals

We make Tech accessible so people can engage online, access online learning and feel self-empowered

Connecting our Community

We work together with the local authority, local organisations, schools and volunteers to build a community-led answer to getting people connected and tackling digital exclusion

Recycling electrical waste

We provide a sustainable solution to closing the digital divide and promote recycling, re-using and refurbishing of tech.

Our Impact

Those in need

Receiving a Power to Connect device ensures young people have the tools needed to access their schoolwork and all the digital world has to offer. For parents, it provides reassurance knowing their child has everything they need to succeed alongside their peers.

Those Supporting

Supporting a great cause like Power to Connect shows you care about the community that we all call home. By donating your unwanted tech, businesses and individuals can play their part in helping younger generations get online like their peers. It’s also a great way to help cut your carbon emissions in a world where achieving net zero is a priority for so many.

4,236

Devices donated and saved from landfill

3,800

Devices redistributed back into our community

Schools Supported

Community Organisations Supported

1,338,576

Estimated kgs of CO2 emissions saved

over 500

Local people received digital skills training every year

We have been so grateful for the lifeline that Power to Connect gave many of our children during the lockdown when we didn't have access to any additional devices. It enabled children who had limited access to a device the opportunity to log in every day and be part of live teaching and access google classroom to complete learning tasks.
We continue to be grateful for the support of Power to Connect through the parent workshops educate our families about online safety

Emilie Haston, Head Teacher @ Goldfinch Primary

Power to Connect have supplied devices to some of our most disadvantaged families this year. The story is usually the same – too few devices to go around, making remote learning impossible for families. The families report being able to keep up with online learning and seeing their children progress, not loose pace with their classmates. Parents have told us their family lives have improved immeasurably, as the stress of accessing online learning and resources have eased. Our Year 5 teacher Mrs Benn told me ‘There’s been a positive impact on everybody’s mental health and wellbeing

Abigail Brady, Head Teacher @ Ronald Ross Primary School

Power to Connect recently provided my son with a Sony laptop. Since receiving the laptop it has been immense help and a useful tool for him. It always brings joy and pride of ownership. You cannot imagine the pride in his body language whenever accessing and using the device! Additionally, it is helping him greatly at school, as he is embarking on the skills of researching online to undertake project work. Recently he came back from school and said ‘Dad my laptop is helping me to know more about Ancient Roman Gods we are learning at school. I am seeing a lot more information on my own computer’. Many thanks to Power to Connect for providing this laptop.

Wandsworth Parent

FAQs

If you’d like to know more about donating and the scheme itself, please read through our Frequently Asked Questions in the link below.

What devices do you accept?

We are currently prioritising laptop and tablet donations for our community. However, we will always be happy to have a chat about other tech equipment to see if we are able to accept it.

Please email hello@powertoconnect.co.uk and we can answer any questions you may have.

Can we donate devices without chargers?

Yes. Ideally, we need devices that are fully working and complete with charger. If the devices are in good condition, we can source additional chargers.

Can you collect my donation?

Yes, we can collect donations within Wandsworth. We can also collect devices from outside of the borough if there is a significant number of devices, ideally 20+.

Where are your drop off points?

You can drop off your items at our Community Centre in Nine Elms where we are usually accepting donations between 10am-12pm on Tuesdays.

You can also drop off your devices at Wandsworth Town Hall between 7:30am – 5pm any weekday.

Please fill in our donation form and we will contact you providing the address & instructions.

What happens with my donation?

Once we have received your device, we will securely wipe all the data and check it’s fully functioning, it will get allocated to one of the schools or organisations in Wandsworth we support to be passed onto a recipient and theirs to keep.

Can you help outside of Wandsworth?

We currently only provide support for those who live in Wandsworth.

If you have any questions or queries on this, please feel free to email hello@powertoconnect.co.uk and we will do our best to answer.

What happens to donations that cannot be used?

Where we are not able to refurbish a device, the device hard drive will be destroyed and disposed appropriately before passing on to a third party for recycling. Appropriate disposal means any process by which the data is inaccessible – for example, physical destruction of
the device (e.g.by crusher/ hammer).

I’m in need of a device, can I apply?

We work directly with Wandsworth council to deliver devices to schools and community organisations in line with the council’s deprivation data. As a result, the families most in need receive their devices first. We do not take applications from individual families or residents.

If you are a Wandsworth resident and in need a device, you can apply for a device via your school or a supporting community organisation.

If you are a community organisation within Wandsworth and need devices of devices for your beneficiaries, please contact hello@powertoconnect.co.uk who will pass the request on to Wandsworth Children’s Services.

Requests will be considered on a case-by-case basis. Wandsworth Council cannot guarantee that every request will be fulfilled.

How will the laptops be wiped to ensure all data is removed from my device?

We know how important data security is and it is our priority to ensure all data is safely handled and destroyed. The method for doing so depends on the type of device, but all methods follow UK data destruction standards.

Once we have the laptops, we use a commercially available utility that works on both HDD and SSD devices to securely erase data by performing a single pass overwrite function.

For tablets we factory reset these devices but please note iPads must be logged out of iCloud + their passcode removed before donating so that we’re able to do this.

We do not have any laptops or devices but would like to support in other ways.

Absolutely! There are many ways for you to get involved.

Check out our key supporters page.

What if I have a device that doesn’t work?

Unfortunately, we can’t accept devices that don’t work. We run a fresh install on donated devices, so they need to be able to start and run without problems.

We also don’t accept devices with cracked screens or missing buttons.

Please email hello@powertoconnect.co.uk if you have any questions about this.

We are an organisation that would like to donate but need to certification of data removal.

If you are an organisation with surplus tech you would like to donate, we can look into wiping devices using Blancco accredited software. This will irreversibly destroy all on-disk data in compliance with national cyber security standards and can provide a Certificate of Erasure.

Please email hello@powertoconnect.co.uk to find out more.