Supporting the Local and Wider Community

Away from the world of work, we want to do as much as possible to help our local and wider community. We think it's vital that education, sport, social activity and healthcare continue to thrive - so we dedicate as much time and resource as we can to assisting worthwhile clubs, charities and good causes. We've highlighted some of the charities and local projects we're actively supporting below, please click on the links to find out more!

Killinghall Nomads

Several of our employees’ children are members of Killinghall Nomads, which is a football club in Harrogate. After the club's building was broken into last summer, Techbuyer and other local businesses donated funds to ensure the teams could get up and running again with CCTV, quality kits and equipment.

One of those Killinghall teams is run specially for young people with disabilities. Head Coach Chris Dixon founded this Sportability group in 2003 after noticing that access to extra-curricular, organised sport was limited for young people with additional needs and disabilities. Chris told us that the team was very popular and successful with it's members but they had difficulty advertising it's existence to more communities, schools and support groups that would be able to join and enjoy it. So before lockdown, we visited the group and made a video to raise awareness.

Find out more about Sportability.

IT Schools Africa

We first heard of IT Schools Africa through our friend Ross at Reusing IT, a charity that collects unwanted computers from companies, refurbishes them, and then sends them to be distributed across schools in Kenya, Malawi, Zambia and Zimbabwe. What we share with this charity is the goal to make technology accessible for everyone, especially in the education sector.

We have now established a partnership network with IT Schools Africa to ensure that there is an ongoing effort on our part to provide them with IT equipment. A small help can make a huge impact.

Read more about IT Schools Africa on our blog.

Find out more about IT Schools Africa.

The Yorkshire Aid Convoy

We have a long-standing partnership with our friends at Reusing IT, a Scottish charity that provides refurbished computers to families in the UK and abroad. Through Reusing IT we funded the supply of 80 computers to the Yorkshire Aid Convoy, which has been donating essentials such as bicycles, educational supplies and toiletries to Romania for the past 20 years.

The Yorkshire Aid Convoy is making a huge difference to so many people by reaching the most in need areas in Romania and here at Techbuyer we wanted to play our part in helping children, wherever they may be, get connected to the digital world.

Read more about The Yorkshire Aid Convoy on our blog.

Find out more about The Yorkshire Aid Convoy and Reusing IT.


Harrogate Hospital

Our desire to help the local community has led to an ongoing collaboration with Harrogate Hospital throughout the years. From small acts, like delivering dozens of chocolate bunny eggs, to something more impactful like donating vital signs monitors to the Special Care Baby Unit, we are committed to do our part in helping the hospital and his patients in any way we can.

Bromfield NHS Trust

We try to help whenever asked and during the tough times Covid-19 has created we were contacted by the Bromfield NHS Trust, our purchusing team was able to source and donate cameras speakers and cables for the hospital's critical care units, meaning families could communicate with their loved ones in CCU.

St Michael's Hospice Harrogate

St Michael's is a local charity devoted to improving the lives of people affected by terminal illness and associated bereavement. The charity, which provides care to over 2000 people each year completely free of charge, relies on the support of the local community for most of its running costs. Techbuyer is proud to be a patron of this palliative care hospice and proud to play a key role in driving forward service improvement.


Supporting Older People

Supporting Older People are a small team who organise volunteers and social activities for elderly people in Harrogate. During the Covid-19 lockdown, the administrator at Supporting Older People required a laptop so that they could work from home. Alan Fisher, Team Leader at our ITAD and chair of the Harrogate Round Table, donated one of our refurbished laptops as well as funds.

Find out more about Supporting Older People.

Young Carers

Young Carers help children aged 18 and under who look after relatives with mental or physical health conditions. The charity helps to take the pressure off young carers in a number of ways, including providing day trips which bring other young carers together, to helping with schoolwork, and providing help at home. Over the years we have donated to fund day trips, arts and crafts, and supplies to help this cause.

Find out more about Young Carers.

Time Together

At Techbuyer we are always looking for new ways to support our local communities. Time Together is a Harrogate based charity that has been operating for over 20 years, their goal is to support individuals with physical and learning disabilities and we wanted to help them make a difference. Over the years we have contributed with our time and resources in order to ensure that such noble cause would receive all the attention it deserves.

Find out more about Time Together.


Acts of Kindness Inspired by our Employees

The Great Knaresborough Bed Race

Techbuyer has taken part in The Great Knaresborough Bed Race for the last four years, this year was due to be the fifth but unfortunately, it had to be cancelled due to Covid-19. This gives us an extra year to get some training under our belt!

The bed race has become a long standing favourite of the the Techbuyer team and presents a real challenge for those taking part. The race is a gruelling contest consisting of 90 squads pushing homemade beds up and down the streets of Knaresborough. To make it even more difficult there is a passenger on the bed and at the end of the 2.4 mile course they must cross the river and swim the icy waters of the River Nidd.

Each year thousands of spectators make their way to the streets of Knaresborough to behold this spectacle and it attracts teams and spectators from all around the globe.

Each year the team choose a charity to fund raise for, last year we raised funds for local charity Leeds Congenital Hearts, which provided incredible support for Techbuyer’s Head of Finance, Andy and his family throughout his three-year old son’s open heart surgery. Not only did the doctors and nurses on the unit provide incredible care, but Leeds Congenital Hearts also provided Andy’s family with a room whilst his son recovered from surgery overnight.


MS Society

Another opportunity to help our community was presented to us by one of our colleagues. He brought the MS Society to our attention and for the last few years we have taken part in the Great North Run in the name of fundraising. Whilst a few of our participants claim to be on the elite sportsmen end of the running spectrum, others are not - safe to say it is a gruelling and challenging experience for most of us - but worth it: we've raised over thousands of pounds over the last few years.

Find out more about The MS Society.

Tough Mudder

Chris Pooley and his wife Ali, not content to run one half marathon a year, steadily punished themselves to raise further funds for MS, completing 17 tough challenges over the space of a year. With the sole aim of raising £5000 the pair mounted obstacles left right and centre and Techbuyer was rightly proud of their dedication and commitment and decided to match their fund raising figure so a total of over £10,000 was raised. Due to their huge efforts the pair received a commendation from the MS Society in recognition of their achievements. Read more here.

Children’s Care home

This summer we have donated 190 laptops to be distributed to every Children's Care Home in Northern Ireland (Anna's home country) and to young people there who have recently left the care system, embarking on an independent life in the community. The Care Homes and those individuals in the community had no access to IT devices to mantain contact with friends and family, and this was brought into stark relief with the onset of the Covid-19 lockdown. Fulfilling the promise of this donation was a lot of work for our tech and test department - thanks to them a lot of children and young people now have the means to communicate with their friends and family.

"Thank you so much for all your help and support in this - your generosity has been remarkable and the devices will help some of the most vulnerable children in Northern Ireland."

 

- David Hamilton, Head of Service, Residential Care Services & Family Assessment & intervention Service


Follifoot Disabled Riders Group

Here at Techbuyer we are constantly inspired by our team’s personal stories and goals. If someone needs help, we provide it as a team.

Follifoot Disabled Riders Group was founded in 1986 by Rosie, our CEO’s mother. Rosie formed the group to offer disabled adults and children the benefits and experience of horse riding. Rosie recruited the necessary voluntary helpers, with the number rising to 150 volunteers today. She purchased a carriage to offer rides to wheelchair users and those not able to ride themselves. In 2004 during a visit to a local college Rosie saw a mechanical horse and started fundraising to provide one at Follifoot for people who wouldn't be safe on a live horse. She raised £20000 from local companies and succeeded in bringing STAN to Follifoot!

Over the last 28 years hundreds of riders have enjoyed the opportunity to walk canter and gallop in safety, Techbuyer continues to donate funds to ensure Rosie's legacy continues. We have recently become a ride sponsor and we are ensuring this organisation survives the though time Covid-19 has created.

Find out more about Follifoot Disabled Riders group.

Cone Exchange

Techbuyer is always looking for ways to reduce waste and create value where possible. With this in mind, we have set up a partnership with local scrap superstars the Cone Exchange, a community project that creates a positive impact in Harrogate by turning waste into quality refurbished items. Their overheads are funded by Bettys and Taylors as part of the company’s commitment to social responsibility. Read more on our blog. Find out more about The Cone Exchange.