No worries Nick.
As you mention,if the system has worked on those refurbished laptops,then we could possibly get away with one of the cheaper VPS plans.
I have just searched for other possibilities,and have found one which appears to offer more or less the exact same spec as Tagadab.but for around half the price:
https://www.simplyhosting.com/vps
I’ve not used them,but could be one for the short list.
Have a great weekend all.