Emmaus Cambridge has stepped in to give a tech recycling enterprise a reboot after the not-for-profit company was threatened with closure.
Reboot Cambridge, which cost around £60,000 per year to run, offered reasonably priced refurbished IT equipment and repair services for more than a decade, but was faced with a lack of funding that meant it was unable to continue.
After hearing of its situation, Emmaus Cambridge stepped in to save the company from closure and expand its own social enterprise which sells pre-loved items to generate funds to support formerly homeless people as they rebuild their lives.
Talking about the reboot, Emmaus Chief Executive Diane Docherty, explains:
“We’ve never taken computer equipment before, as we’ve never been able to do anything with it. However, part of our ethos here is to recycle as much as we can, so this seemed like a good fit. The idea is we’ll be able to sell items online, as well in our social enterprise shop in Landbeach. Eventually, we also hope to provide the people we support with training opportunities in the area of refurbishing IT equipment too. A big part of what we do is providing the opportunity for people to learn new skills, which helps them to regain their confidence and self-esteem so they can get employment and live independently.”
Rebranded as Emmaus Reboot, the charity has taken on two former Reboot employees to continue the service and is now seeking donations of laptops, desktop computers, flat screen monitors, and tablets to refurbish or recycle.
All funds raised from Emmaus Reboot will go towards supporting the 44 people that live at the charity, who are all provided with a home for as long as needed, the opportunity to gain new skills through working in the charity’s social enterprise, and access to a training fund to gain qualifications.
All hard drives will be wiped in line with the European General Data Protection Regulations (GDPR), and the UK Data Protection Act 1998 (DPA) and a certificate can be provided upon request.
Emmaus is located just off the A10 at Green End, Landbeach. It is open Monday to Saturday from 9am to 5pm and from 10am to 4pm on Sundays.
For donations that need collecting, call 01223 863657 and select option one or email [email protected].