We're delighted to launch our brand new 'hub' located on Monks Cross Drive which has allowed us to build a dedicated space for our volunteer management, as well as for the growth of our digital inclusion support, and digital making activities under the new Gwiddle Clubs brand. 

 

Our 'hubs' are a new initiative from the organisation, looking to provide spaces outside of our central office that allows for a lounge space, and spaces for device refurbishments so we can better support our local community. 

 

The launch of the first Keeping Digital Foundation Hub also means we're delighted to now be accepting donations of laptops, desktops, and tablets. These donations will then be refurbished by our team of volunteers onsite, and then redistributed throughout our range of services across the region. Devices are hard to come by, and we can't get enough of them! We use them for a range of reasons, from providing digital making activities to local school-aged children, to working to distribute them to people who need them in our local communities. Your donation won't be wasted. We’ll also use industry-standard software to destroy all of your data, and we can supply certificates of data destruction on request. 

 

Donations can be accepted through an organised drop-off at one of our loading bays, or alternatively you can purchase cheap postage through our partner DropPoint. Through the DropPoint website, you can submit your donation and generate a postage label to send it directly to our hub. DropPoint makes donating your old devices as easy as dropping it off at a range of donation lockers across the country. 

 

The new Keeping Digital Foundation hub is also home to our first lounge, a space for our team and volunteers to kick back, relax, and catch up on our green sofa! With a range of desks, and storage for donations and equipment, Monks Cross is a hub for all of our services. 

Our Monks Cross hub will be open alongside our registered office at Bootham. We continue to ask people who send letters to Keeping Digital Foundation to continue to send them to our Bootham address, keeping our Monks Cross office for donations. 

 

Luke Castle, Co-Founder and Community Coordinator at the Keeping Digital Foundation shared his excitement of the launch of this new space: 

"We had big plans for 2024, and opening our first Keeping Digital Hub is a major milestone for us. Since launching this organisation back in 2016, a dedicated space for our volunteers and staff has always been a priority and I'm delighted at how the Hub has taken shape since we first got keys to the space earlier this month. We've turned an empty industrial unit into a calming and collaborate space for our teams. I'm super excited for what the year ahead will hold for Keeping Digital Foundation, including our growing Gwiddle brand, and I'm so proud of everything our charitable organisation has accomplished!" 

 

David Thompson, Co-Founder and Volunteer Coordinator added, "Our new facility at Monks Cross is a huge milestone for the Keeping Digital Foundation which will help us to provide more and better services both for our communities and our volunteers. We look forward to integrating this facility into our organisation and using it to help us grow and develop our services further."