A HASLINGDEN drop-in centre that supports refugees is calling for donations of IT equipment.

Caritas, a charity that supports refugees at the centre, says that such equipment is vital to helping its clients learn English language skills and communicate with family members around the world.

This need is especially acute in the current situation in which most classes must be delivered virtually.

Director of Caritas Salford Mark Wiggin said: “Obviously there’s a great demand nationally for that sort of thing but particularly with refugees there’s a huge demand and also because we’ve now switched a lot of our classes to virtual ones.”

Explaining the benefits of using IT he added: “The main thing is the way it can be used to teach conversational English.

“We’ve been bringing our volunteers together to teach different topics and it builds friendships, just the discussion of normal things.”

The charity has also been taking part in a community partnership scheme that helps rehouse families who have been living in refugee camps.

Returning to the subject of IT donations, Mr Wiggin said: “There’s no cut off point, we can’t get enough of them!”

To find out more about donating and about other services run by the charity, visit: https://www.caritassalford.org.uk/contact-us/.