Freemasons recycle tech into teaching to support pupils through the pandemic
Freemasons throughout Lincolnshire are being encouraged to get behind the Make a Difference campaign aimed at putting more computers into schools which has been publicised on the BBC One Show.
The first step is the donation of half a dozen machines made redundant by an IT upgrade at the Freemasons’ Lincolnshire HQ in Grimsby, and that’s prompted Assistant Provincial Grand Master Peter Brooks to urge others to get involved.
He said: “The One Show’s highlighting of the issue came at exactly the moment we were planning an IT upgrade, and this seemed to offer an ideal future for the computers we intended to make redundant.
“But that’s just a start. There must be large numbers of computers in the homes and businesses of Freemasons, as well as others, which are no longer used and are sitting in the backs of cupboards gathering dust – but are still perfectly serviceable in an educational context. I’d urge people to search them out and get in touch with the Business2Schools charity to find out how to get their redundant tech into teaching. It’s a great way to support a worthy cause at no cost to the individual!”
He said the campaign was not only of benefit to schools, but had a positive environmental dimension too. “There’s every danger that redundant computer equipment would simply be dumped. Giving it a new lease of life prevents that from happening, which is another positive from the initiative.”
• More information is available at the Business2Schools web site here