Supermarket donates laptops to school to tackle digital exclusion
LAPTOPS are being donated to vulnerable children at a Havant school thanks to a supermarket’s charity initiative.
As part of Asda Havant’s bid to tackle digital exclusion in the community, Park Community School has received five laptops with a further five expected to arrive after Easter.
The supermarket’s community champion,
Katy Trapani, nominated her local school to receive a donation of equipment so that pupils can keep up with their studies and stay connected.
Along with Dell laptops, Asda Havant is giving pupils at Park Community School laptop bags, headphones, and a dongle providing three months internet access.
Katy said: ‘It’s wonderful to be able to help. We have such a good relationship with Park Community School and being able to offer this level of help is great.
‘Being a mum myself I understand how important it is to have this equipment.’
The supermarket recently formed a partnership with Dell to invest £2m so that every Asda store in the UK could donate at least 10 laptops to a school in need in their local community.
Susan Parish, business and community manager at Park Community School, said: ‘These laptops will be going to vulnerable students, as some of our families don’t have the hardware.
‘It is invaluable for students to have quality equipment to work from home.’
This initiative to support schools struggling with digital exclusion was launched after research by Oxfam showed that nine per cent of children in the UK do not have access to equipment at home.
Sara Osborne, customer trading manager at Asda Havant, said: ‘It’s amazing to be able to donate these laptops, everyone’s so happy to help the children.’