Supplying St Giles Trust – Turning a Past Into a Future

Turning a Past Into a Future

St Giles Trust received 45 refurbished laptops from Computer Aid between January and March 2025, which were distributed across their Skills and Employment services in London. These devices have had a significant impact, helping people facing multiple disadvantages to build skills, reduce isolation, and move towards recovery, education, and employment:

• In Bexley, the laptops supported people in recovery to access online courses, join virtual recovery meetings, and reconnect socially, providing structure and routine.
• In Southwark, the team used them with people with learning difficulties and care leavers. One young man with low literacy and confidence joined an accessible online course, developed digital skills, and built friendships described by his worker as “a turning point.” The laptops also supported care leavers with housing, job applications, and higher education.
• The Southwark criminal justice teams integrated laptops into rehabilitation work with clients under and over 25, including those recently released from prison. They enabled access to training, benefits, and online peer networks, crucial for reducing isolation and supporting resettlement.
• In North London, they helped people reintegrating after mental health hospitalisation, providing lifelines for health management, peer support, and re-learning digital tasks.

Overall, the laptops embodied the St Giles Trust ethos: personal experience, trust, and empowerment, giving clients the tools to rebuild their lives!

Computer Aid is able to supply eligible non-profits with refurbished equipment due to the equipment we receive, data-wipe, and refurbish from companies based in the UK and abroad.