It is with immense sadness that we share the news of the passing of Owen Dack, our founding volunteer and the visionary behind PCrefurb. Whilst taking part in a programme led by Ed Kelly at The Bureau in 2018, Owen suggested getting volunteers together to refurbish donated IT equipment to give away to people in need. From that germ of an idea, with the support of Ed, Tony and Mary, our first Trustees and a core of enthusiastic volunteers, PCrefurb was founded and soon became a constituted group and then a registered charity.
Over the years Owen remained ready to help and teach refurbishing skills to our growing group of volunteers and was welcoming and supportive to our staff team as it developed. He was an endlessly creative problem solver – not just in technical matters but also in terms of supporting digitally excluded people. He advocated for both PCrefurb and his own community, always trying to find ways to make the online world more accessible for everyone.
In 2023 we were delighted to ask Owen and Ed to represent PCrefurb at a Royal Garden Party at Buckingham Palace following receipt of our Queen’s Award for Voluntary Service – an experience Owen described as “surreal but amazing”. We are so proud that he attended such a memorable occasion on our behalf.
Despite being unwell for some time, Owen continued to spread the word about PCrefurb, and only recently we received a batch of laptops to refurbish via one of his friends which is already starting to make a difference to people’s lives.
Thanks to Owen’s moment of inspiration and subsequent drive in helping set up PCrefurb, his legacy will continue for many years to come. Thousands of devices have been saved from landfill and given away to support individuals, families, other charities and organisations, making a difference to many thousands of people’s lives. On behalf of all our volunteers, Trustees and staff both past and present we thank Owen and send our condolences and kindest thoughts to his family and friends. He will be very much missed.
Helen Melhuish, Chief Officer
