Govia Thameslink Railway donated the mini desktop computers and, alongside The Turing Trusts refurbishment work, will see thousands of children able to learn computer skills whilst saving more than 160 tonnes of carbon emissions which would have been made in the making of brand new machines.

The rail operator is currently replacing old desktops as they cannot support the most up-to-date software which is needed to run the railway. The old computers are vital for organisations, including charities and schools that don’t have the funding to buy IT equipment.

Before sending the computers to The Turing Trust, Govia Thameslink Railway‘s IT team removed all data and reinstalled the machines’ original operating systems before the first lot of 70 desktops were delivered to the charities workshop this week. The Trust will now get underway with wiping the donated computers securely and to UK Government standards ahead of carrying out refurbishments and repairs to bring them back up to scratch before shipping the fully functioning machines to their new homes.

The Turing Trust has been working with schools in Malawi since 2016, and it is there that the majority of the Govia Thameslink Railway donated computers will head. In six years the Trust’s impressive work has seen Malawian schools go from just 3% of schools having one computer to 80% of schools in the northern part of the country having enough technology for students to learn computer skills. A portion of the donated computers will also support UK communities.

Govia Thameslink Railway also worked with the Trust in November when 80 of its redundant Android tablets were refurbished and were supplied to a charity that helps homeless and excluded people to develop computer skills and also to support them in building a CV to apply for jobs. The rail operator has also donated 1000 bikes to charities across its network in a bid to support local communities.

James Turing, Founder of the Trust, said:

“We’re delighted to receive this fantastic donation from Govia Thameslink Railway which will help us to do so much in the coming months. Thanks to their donation, 10,800 students will be able to learn vital IT skills.

“Beyond this, the environmental impact from their donation will offset 168 tonnes of CO2 emissions, which is the equivalent of planting 420 trees or offsetting the annual carbon footprints of 17 Britons. The embodied energy savings created are also enough to power 41 UK homes for a year as well. Thank you so much to the whole team at Govia Thameslink Railway for making all of this possible!”

Aidan Shanahan, GTR’s Head of IT, said:

“We’re delighted to be able to work with The Turing Trust to make such a life-changing difference for so many people, by giving old equipment a second life. The demand for refurbished computers is so high that the 600 units we’re donating is a drop in the ocean, so we encourage other organisations with the redundant kit to work with the Trust so it can be re-used securely with such lasting and valuable impact.”