The charity has spent over 50 years providing care services and a range of support to vulnerable people in the area.

The organisation aims to reach out a helping hand to those that stumble in life, helping them to get back on their feet. Starting life as a soup kitchen organised by Aberdeen University students, it now provides support and assistance to rough sleepers, those needing to flee unsafe home environments and people who find it difficult to maintain their tenancy due to mental health or addiction issues, amongst many other extremely valuable services.

Neil Taylor, a senior ITS support analyst at the Institute, said: “We are delighted to be able to donate this equipment to Aberdeen Cyrenians. As an Institute committed to sustainability, we are always looking for ways to make better use of our surplus technology.

“We appreciate it’s been a difficult year for many people and rather than just sending the laptops to be destroyed or recycled, we felt there was an opportunity to give the equipment a second lease of life. It’s great to know our laptops will be used by families across Aberdeen; we aim to make many similar donations in the future.”

Emma Bellu, fundraising and communications manager at Aberdeen Cyrenians, added: “These donated laptops will support vulnerable people in Aberdeen by providing digital access and the opportunity to build vital digital skills.

“The pandemic has highlighted how essential digital has become for all aspects of life; from getting support and keeping in touch with loved ones, to saving money online. It’s great to be able to give this equipment a new home while supporting digital inclusion, and we can’t thank the James Hutton Institute enough for opening this door for so many of our service users.”

As a local independent charity, Aberdeen Cyrenians work in partnership with a wide range of local organisations and collaborate with other similar organisations in a national forum.