Community Computer Clinic

Does your computer, laptop or phone fight back? Bring it to the West Fleetwood Community Computer Clinic at Rossall Tavern and get some FREE help!

West Fleetwood Community Computer Clinic

The Clinic is back again for 2024, see dates below.

Bring your gadget and/or your problem to Rossall Tavern at Larkholme Parade, Fleetwood. These are all Monday nights and the team are there from 7:30pm to approx. 9:00pm

• 8 & 22 Jan
• 5 & 19 Feb
• 4 & 18 Mar
• 8 & 22 Apr
• 13 May
• 3 & 17 Jun
• 1, 15 & 29 Jul
• 12 Aug
• 2, 16 & 30 Sep
• 14 & 28 Oct
• 11 & 25 Nov
• 9 Dec
• 6 & 20 Jan 2025

Anyone can come to these ‘drop-in’ sessions where FREE advice, help and even minor repairs are catered for. Get FREE help with your technology. From friendly experts speaking normal English, on hand at every session.

Whatever you’re struggling with, bring along your phones, laptops, tablets – anything that you need help with. They can’t promise to solve all your problems, but they’ll have a good try – just go along. If you do go, please mention you saw it on Visit Fylde Coast!

• Find out more about the clinic on Facebook

More about the Computer Clinic

The West Fleetwood Community Computer Clinic is an initiative of Emmanuel Church West. It can help out with most of your IT related problems, whether that’s a smart-phone, iPad/tablet, laptop or desktop computer.

Your Laptop might be riddled with virus, you could have a Tablet which has lost its programs and a phone which won’t connect to the internet. They’ll do their best to sort it out and it’s all FREE!

“Not only can we sort out many technical issues, we also re-cycle older, donated, equipment for community use,” said Dave Carlos who leads the team. “We never know what kind of issues will walk through the door but we try to help everyone. Sometimes it takes several days to find an answer, but we haven’t had a failure yet!

“We also offer training for those who need a little help. One client wanted to save videos from YouTube for talks he was giving to community groups. Others wanted to know how to get their music onto their tablets. We don’t know everything but we usually know where to look to find an answer.”

Hosted at the Rossall Tavern by kind permission of the landlords, the Clinic is completely free to everyone. “We have been offered payment but we have asked folk to make a donation to a charity instead” said Dave. “We do this to support the local community and as ‘The church which meets in the Pub’, the Tavern is the ideal location”.

Find the dates in the Visit Fylde Coast Events Calendar, or from the Clinic Facebook page

Find out more

More details from Dave on 01253 424675.

Don’t forget to Like the West Fleetwood Community Computer Clinic Facebook page too.

Dave Carlos is a local resident who has been involved with home computers and gadgets for over 30 years. He was the Editor of Home Computing Weekly in the 1980’s. “I love seeing people get the best out of these complex and frankly, not very friendly machines. I have founded Computer Clubs in other parts of the country but since moving to Fleetwood, I’d realised the need for a local ‘clinic’ or advice session.”

“I’m thrilled that the landlord of Rossall Tavern, also has the vision for such a local drop-in facility and offered to host our sessions. What better atmosphere can there be than a friendly local where we can be relaxed and enjoy good company,” said Dave.

Got some old Computer Kit? Put it to good use!

Did you get a new laptop this Christmas? Got old machines lying about in the house? Here’s how to recycle your old computers safely.

West Fleetwood Computer Clinic, on behalf of Emmanuel Church West, re-purpose and find new homes for old computers. Many have gone to local charitable organisations, school children and people in need. They’ve been donated by individuals, and also by local business.

If you know of anyone or any business which might have equipment that is surplus to requirement, please get in touch with them and they will arrange to collect. The benefit to businesses of donating IT equipment is that you don’t have to pay fees for waste disposal = good news all round!

But we’re not suggesting that you get a hammer and spanner out and strip your old kit down yourself!

More Old Computers Wanted! Please…

Over the years, many machines have been refurbished and given to local schools, job seekers, and community projects. They simply need more machines to repurpose for people who need them. The need is great and the educational and ecological benefits of repurposing unwanted connected devices are immense.

You’ll be aware that other initiatives are doing a similar thing in the drive to support home learning. Just MAKE SURE that they give you a public guarantee that ALL DATA will be wiped to industry standards. It is NOT SAFE to donate equipment without such a guarantee!

Volunteers at West Fleetwood Community Computer Clinic are always on the hunt for your old computers. They’re after laptops, desktops, monitors, cables and all the bits of kit. They’ll refurbish and repurpose them and pass them on. So not only will you save money, you’ll also get a warm glow of satisfaction too!

Wipe that Memory Clean!

In the past you’ve recycled all kinds of unwanted equipment. It’s collected, digitally cleaned and recycled into the community.

It’s important to note that the Computer Clinic promise to completely clean all the hard drives of donated computers using military grade algorithms.

This means that no data can be recovered from the machine and that they are completely safe from identity theft.

Community Computer Clinic helps Local Schools

The West Fleetwood Community Computer Clinic began on 2 September 2013. The Clinic, which meets every other Monday at Fleetwood’s Rossall Tavern, has seen many changes but the pandemic lockdown brought the biggest challenge.

“Our first seven years were a ‘walk in the park’ compared to last year”, said Dave Carlos (below) one of the Clinic’s ‘geeks’. “Our past experience gave us all the skills needed to assist local schools to provide connected devices to their pupils, so that they could continue classes at home. We received over 400 donated devices and managed to distribute 315 to local schools after refurbishment”.

The team of five ‘geeks’ all worked from home, reviving the donated machines. This involved cleaning all data to certified standards, mending broken machines, reinstalling basic systems before doing a thorough physical clean and donating them to the schools. A corporate sponsor, AFD Software, provided the financial support needed.

Every primary school in Fleetwood which needed machines was given at least one batch of devices and some received over 20 for their pupils. The Clinic even delivered machines as far away as Crewe and Macclesfield after a corporate donor gave 220 machines on the condition that some benefitted schools local to them. The others were donated to Fylde schools.

The Clinic celebrated its anniversary by restarting its regular sessions at the Rossall Tavern on Larkholme Lane in Fleetwood. They are open to anyone with a technology issue and are always FREE.

You can find dates and details online: www.facebook.com/wfcomputerclinic/events

If it works for Cats and Dogs, why not for computers too?

In the years since the West Fleetwood Computer Clinic started, they have refurbished and ‘rehoused’ well over 100 computers. The new owners are Community Groups and Job Seekers who need them to maintain their searches and benefits.

“What we do is very like the work of Animal Rescue charities”, said Dave Carlos, the Clinic organiser.

“We take unwanted and unloved hardware, bring it back to life and health and then ‘rehouse’ it with those who need and will use it. All for FREE!”

The current problem is that the Clinic has more potential new owners that it has kit to rehouse!

“At this time of year many folk will be getting new, faster and better equipment and are wondering what to do with the old stuff. “Don’t dump it”, says Dave, “We will keep it out of the knacker’s yard and the landfill site”.

The Clinic, an initiative of Emmanuel Church West, holds regular Monday sessions, at the Rossall Tavern, Larkholme Parade, Fleetwood.

West Fleetwood Computer Clinic goes to the Dogs (and cats, budgies and hamsters…)

On Friday 17 April 2015, the West Fleetwood Computer Clinic team supplied and installed three computers for the local RSPCA branch at their Fleetwood HQ.

“It all started with a phone call for help from Liz, the local manager”, said Steve Berger from the Clinic. “She needed computers for administration and volunteer training at their Fleetwood offices, which are currently undergoing refurbishment.”

Liz, RSPCA local branch manager, with one of the newly installed computers donated by West Fleetwood Computer Clinic

The Clinic team were able to help and just four days later were installing three complete machines, donated by an anonymous Blackpool company. All the machines were thoroughly cleaned, digitally and physically, and were supplied with all the software and cabling that that Charity required.

The machines were refurbished and supplied completely free of charge, all parts and time donated by Clinic members.

This donation brings the total number of computers supplied by the Clinic this year to 37. “We can only donate as many machines as we are given by local companies and individuals,”, said Steve.

Both the Clinic and the RSPCA are keen to see local animal welfare benefit from this move into the digital age for their local branch.

Community Computer Donation (Feb 15)

The West Fleetwood Community Computer Clinic are delighted to be able to provide four good specification machines to Fleetwood’s Air Cadet Squadron, following our help with their recent appeal for redundant equipment.

Fleetwood Squadron Air Cadets with Steve Berger and Dave Carlos from the West Fleetwood Community Computer Clinic, Sqdn Ldr Kath Lane and Ian McCann (Civilian Instructor).

Here at Visit Fleetwood we’ve been helping the Clinic to spread the word and a number of individuals have already donated their unused laptops and desktops which have been repurposed to those in need.

Realising that companies can not only be community minded but they can also avoid paying disposal fees for scrapping their unwanted kit, the request was shared by Jones Harris Chartered Accountants in Fleetwood through their website and monthly newsletter.

They act for well over 1000 clients of all sizes across the Fylde Coast, so some of them were sure to find this a useful service (along with all the other useful hints and tips which they provide).

Sure enough, a number of companies came forward, including the anonymous corporate donor of these four machines.

Cleaned and refurbished

They have been data shredded so that nothing can be recovered by a new owner and then had clean operating systems, utilities and programs installed.

Three cadets using the new machines for the first time. One of the cadets said “This beats waiting five minutes for a web page to load!”

Dave Carlos, Clinic organisers says “These computers are ideal for the Air Cadets whose current equipment came out of the digital ark! They are essential for the Air Cadets as they take all their exams online, and their old equipment was wholly insufficient, but of course new replacements are expensive to buy so this is ideal for them.”

It’s the first time the clinic has had a corporate donation of several identical machines and has been able to give them to a local group in this way.

Whether you have one computer or several which you no longer need please also get in touch. All donations gratefully accepted!

While you’re here…

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