UNWANTED laptops are being sought to help Braithwaite and Guard House residents search for jobs.

Keighley town councillor Ian Dermondy has issued an appeal for people to donate laptops or Chromebooks for the Keith Thompson Centre, in order to set up an informal job club while its community cafe is open each morning.

Unemployed people will be able to use the laptops to search online for job opportunities then submit applications.

The initiative has grown out of discussions between Cllr Dermondy and volunteers, who run the long-established centre in Guard House Ring.

He is a member of the recently-formed Braithwaite Improvement Partnership alongside other town and district councillors, community groups and public bodies.

Cllr Dermondy said: “We’re trying to find someone who is kind enough to donate a laptop. They don’t need to be powerful, so long as they can access Wi-Fi, which is already in the centre.

“We’d like to get a couple of laptops so people who don’t have access to computers can call in and do job applications.

“It will generally be when the cafe is open, which is at about midday, but there are also activities in the afternoon.

“It opens up other opportunities at the centre, such as training pensioners who want to learn how to use computers.”

Cllr Dermondy paid tribute to volunteer residents who run the Keith Thompson Centre and its various user groups.

He said the well-used centre needed about £2,500 a year to stay open, and the centre’s management committee is also looking for cash for long-needed repairs.

He added: “The building is in desperate need – it’s slowly falling apart. It’s a great centre, which is well used by the community.”

Cllr Dermondy said the Braithwaite Improvement Partnership is already doing “great work” across the estate, and this could only grow in the future.

He cited ongoing improvements including a new playground currently being built off North Dean Road by Bradford Council, and Keighley Town Council’s project to plant trees between the estate and the North Beck.

He added: “The partnership is about us not working as individuals, but working as one big group for the benefit of everybody.”

Anyone willing to donate a laptop should contact Cllr Dermondy by calling 07473 022300, e-mailing

cllr.dermondy@keighley.gov.uk or tweeting @IDermondy.