A NUMBER of people in Yate and Chipping Sodbury with IT knowledge have stepped in to support parents who are home-schooling by refurbishing old laptops.

Many schoolchildren have been unable to access their online lessons, because they have no computer at home.

So Yate Rotary Club and a local family have both started to offer services to refurbish donated laptops to make life little easier.

Matthew Maidment and his wife Rachel have been spending their spare time restoring unused machines for children to re-use.

The duo are have restored and delivered over 40 donated laptops to six schools in South Gloucestershire.

Rachel said all donations have come from pleas put out on local Facebook sites. They have launched a fundraising page to raise money to help with the costs of buying spare parts.

Yate Rotary Club are working with the BBC Computers for Schools campaign to help. Their team collect devices, and have the expertise to wipe them clean. The laptops are then passed to a local school for them to identify a child or older student who needs it.

Marion Gilpin of YRC said: “Our schools are doing a fantastic job, somehow managing to teach the children of key workers who have to be in school, and at the same time, provide a curriculum online for the children who are home-schooling.

“There must be many people in our community that have unused laptops or tablets, that can really help children and parents at this difficult time.”

To donate a laptop call Rachel on 07782 826 725 or Marion at Yate Rotary on 01454 321323.