AWARD winning Worcester technology company Titania has donated 15 computers to the city's Christopher Whitehead Language College.

The Barbourne-based cyber security specialist has completely refurbished the used machines, which be used in the school’s new science department resource area.

Titania chief executive Ian Whiting said: "We wanted to give the computers to a good cause and donating them to a secondary school definitely qualifies. Inspiring and enabling local young people to choose a career in the industry is good for us too. Hopefully students that find their passion for IT at school will be our employees of the future.”

Head of Christopher Whitehead Neil Morris added: "We are extremely grateful to Titania for their donation of high specification computers that will be used in our science and computing areas. In the fast, ever-changing world of IT, having the right tools and correct equipment makes a massive difference. These computers will have a significant impact on performance. We are looking forward to a lasting partnership.”

For anyone wanting to recycle a computer, Mr Whiting offered a six point plan:

1 Back up any personal data you might want to keep.

2 Wipe off any data such as documents, photos, films, music emails etc.

3 Delete any browsing histories.

4 Disconnect the PC from the internet and un-install any programs that can contain personal data. Sometimes Microsoft Office applications can hold details such as name and address, while others have a limited license, for a certain number of computers. Most software companies will have advice on how to un-register licenses on their website.

5 Create an administrator account and use it to delete all other accounts to remove any residual data.

6 The hard drive will still hold an amount of information that can be retrieved with specialist software until it is over-written, preferably multiple times. This can be done with specialist software; either free or paid-for solutions.