Extra 400 laptops given to schoolchildren to help with home learning in Telford and Wrekin
An additional 400 laptops have been delivered to schoolchildren in Telford to help with their learning from home.
Telford & Wrekin Council has just finished distributing the devices, with support from schools and thanks to overwhelming donations from people and businesses.
Around 350 laptops have already been provided by the council in the first round of this scheme last year, to children who don’t have a computer at home, so they can take part in online work.
In total, over the next three years, the lifetime of the devices, the council’s laptops for learning scheme is expected to help over 2,000 children with their learning.
At the beginning of the year, due to the further winter lockdown challenges for education, the council asked residents and businesses to get involved and help the authority to provide additional new laptops for children in need of them.
More than 180 old laptops in good condition were donated by residents and businesses and the council collected them and traded them in to buy new laptops.
Over £16,000 was also donated through a GoFundMe page towards new laptops.
Councillor Shirley Reynolds, Telford & Wrekin Council's cabinet member for children, young people, education and lifelong learning, said: “We are very grateful to everyone who has supported the laptops for learning scheme, to all our residents and borough businesses for their amazing donations.
"We have had some large donations from local businesses and we will be writing to them directly to say thank you.
“Their contribution has helped to significantly add another 400 brand new laptops to help borough children in primary and secondary schools who have no such device to learn at home on.
“It demonstrates once again how our community has rallied around to show how we care for young people in this borough, particularly at these challenging times.
“With the devices handed over from one year group to the next, the total number of laptops for this scheme will help thousands more young people over the next three years.”
Donations can still be made to the scheme and details on how to get involved are at www.telford.gov.uk/laptopsforlearning
