Just ahead of Christmas, Scania (Great Britain) Limited donated a selection of IT hardware surplus to its future requirements – including 45 laptops, three PC’s and a range of smartphones – to a number of local schools and charities to help them continue their great work.
Receiving a selection of laptops, android phones and PC’s are Willen Hospice, Portfields Primary School, Great Holm Primary School and The Football Education Academy.
Managing Director of Scania (Great Britain) Limited, Martin Hay, presented representatives from the local schools and charity with the ‘tech’ donations at the company’s new UK Customer Support Centre in Milton Keynes.
Martin Hay explains: “As part of our move into our brand-new office building, we’ve replaced some of our IT hardware meaning that we had a number of items which were no longer required. Instead of simply throwing them away, we wanted to donate them to good causes and give them an additional life, where they would be well utilised and make a real difference.”
Willen Hospice provides specialist care for people living with life limiting illnesses in Milton Keynes and surrounding areas. The charity needs to raise £4.7 million a year from the community – £9 every minute – to ensure it can continue to support patients and their families.
Amy Shaw, Corporate Partnership Fundraiser at Willen Hospice says: “Without the support of the local community, donations and businesses, we couldn’t provide the care that we do. The phones will enable us to power eight contactless donation points and generate additional income. We find now that many people don’t carry cash so to be able to take donations from cards easily and efficiently will be great.
“The laptops will be used by our fundraising and clinical teams. The fundraising team is mobile and team members are often working out of the office, so this will enable us to get out there even more with all the information we need to hand.”
Scania (Great Britain) Limited donated ten laptops and three PC’s to Portfields Primary School in Newport Pagnell and ten laptops to Great Holm Primary School in Milton Keynes.
Sarah Folkard, Head Teacher at Portfields Primary School adds: “We’re extremely grateful for the laptops. They will be used by our teachers to deliver the curriculum and are the same ones that we’ve had previously so the transition will be seamless. It also means we’re able to spend the budget that we’d put aside to buy laptops for other projects.”
Ruth Purdon, Teacher of reception and year one pupils at Great Holm Primary School, continues: “The current laptops the children use are around 14 years old, so as you can imagine they’re very slow and not terribly reliable. The batteries last around three minutes when they’re not on charge so they’re not portable either. We’re all excited to get the new ones and all the children in my class wanted to come with me to say thank you!”
Every year in conjunction with St Neots Town FC, The Football Education Academy offers 20 Bedfordshire-based footballers the chance to combine fulltime football with educational studies – an alternative path to sixth form.
Jack Cassidy, Academy Manager of The Football Education Academy explains: “The fifteen laptops that have been donated will make a big difference for the students and will be used every day for the team to do their college work. We believe it’s important to highlight that there are options for young people today – whether that’s a football career or joining Scania as an apprentice!”
Scania (Great Britain) Limited staff based at the current head office in Milton Keynes will move into the company’s new Tongwell Customer Support Centre just before Christmas, with the official inauguration planned for 2019.
