Tech donation a boost for school
QE High School in Carmarthen has been given a donation of laptops to help pupils who are home schooling during the pandemic.
Haverfordwest-based fresh produce producer Puffin Produce Ltd has made a donation of eight laptops through the Business2schools initiative.
Founded two years ago, Business2schools is a charity and was established to connect businesses with schools so that pupils can benefit from both cutting-edge technology and highquality furniture that is no longer needed.
There are more than 900 schools in the UK registered to receive donations from the charity.
Business manager at QE High, Nigel Cooke, said: “Finances are very tight for schools these days and there are a lot of funding challenges, therefore any donations are gratefully
received.
“We are fortunate that Business2schools is a charity and this generous donation by Puffin Produce will support our students and their live streaming.”
Headteacher Dave Williams added: “With the
closure of schools during the Covid-19 crisis, having access to the internet has been essential to facilitate home schooling.
“However, it’s been a real struggle for many of our students as they either do not have a laptop or have been live streaming
via a mobile phone.
“There are 24% of our students who have access to the free school meal scheme, and these laptops will be given to a number of families who need support, providing our students with the facilities they so desperately need.”
Jonathon James, IT executive at Puffin Produce, said: “Our operation requires use of the latest IT equipment, and during a recent technology upgrade we also needed to upgrade some of our commercial laptops.
“This is where
Business2schools
came in as their initiative ensures that anything a business doesn’t want anymore, such as old IT infrastructure, is instead offered to schools for a second life.
“We had eight spare laptops sitting on a shelf and despite the fact they were a couple of years old, they were still fully functional and offered a high specification that is probably beyond the reach of a normal school IT budget.
“After reconditioning and removing the hard drive they were ideal for what the school required them for.”
Mererid James, the firm’s sustainability executive who registered Puffin Produce with the scheme, said: “Puffin Produce is delighted to be involved in this great initiative offered by Business2schools.
“Not only are we helping our local school community and our future generations at a time when they need it more than ever, it’s also better for our environment and landfill sites.
“It’s a good feeling knowing that our old equipment is going to a worthy cause, and we’re also teaching children about sustainability. It really is a win-win situation.”