Donated devices now open for application in Gateshead

12 Mar 2026 01:06 PM

In Gateshead, the next stage of Tech4Communities has begun. Applications are now open for refurbished laptops, tablets and smartphones, following six months of device donations from local residents and refurbished staff laptops from Gateshead Council.

Supported by Connected Voice, the programme is now moving from collection to redistribution. Devices donated across Gateshead have been securely wiped, refurbished and prepared to reach residents who need them most. What had been sitting unused is now being put back into circulation in the same place it was given, keeping useful technology close to home and widening access where access has been limited.

For some households, a suitable device can make schoolwork manageable at home. For others, it can make job searching, filling in forms, accessing essential services or staying in touch less difficult than it has been. Tech4Communities does not ask communities to look elsewhere for answers. The programme starts with what is already here and puts that value back to work locally.

Elizabeth Anderson, CEO, Digital Poverty Alliance, is clear about the scale of the issue. “Digital exclusion is one of the defining inequalities of our time and it is unacceptable that so many people are locked out of education, employment and essential services simply because they lack access to a device. At a time when one in five children is in digital poverty and more than 19 million people in the UK are digitally excluded, the need to act has never been more urgent. I am personally so grateful to the Gateshead community for all their donations of equipment.”

At Connected Voice, Alessandra Mondin, Gateshead Digital Inclusion in Health and Social Care Project Manager, welcomed the opening of applications. “I am so pleased that people in Gateshead can now apply to receive a device that will enable them to access the same resources and connections as their neighbours.

“This project was possible due to the partnership between the Digital Poverty Alliance, Connected Voice, all our donation sites and of course local people who donated their unwanted tech that is now being redistributed.”

Applications are now open for Gateshead residents in need of a device.

Apply here