£400,000 donation will help thousands of home-schooling kids get online

Children in 1,500 Rotherham households will be supplied with a laptop and 10,000 housholds withn anternet dongle following the helping hand from Aesseal to education provider Laptops for Kids.

The firm’s founder and managing director, Chris Rea, said Aesseal, which is based in Templeborough and makes industrial seals, was keen to be a “being a good neighbour, partner and useful member of the communities in which we live and work”.

He added: “Our donation is an investment in young people across Rotherham and South Yorkshire - we will need their ideas and energy to tackle the global challenges facing our planet.”

And technology entrepreneur David Richards, co-founder of the Laptops for Kids campaign, said: “This should be a clarion call to businesses everywhere to support our campaign and make sure every child has safe access to the internet so they can fulfil their potential.

“Huge thanks to Aesseal for this powerful expression of support, which will help thousands of children to access remote learning during the pandemic.”

The charitable organisation will use £300,000 to supply refurbished laptops to 1,500 households across the borough – said to be enough to meet around half of the estimated need in Rotherham.

The remaining £100,000 will be used to buy dongles for connecting 10,000 households to the internet, meeting the estimated total need across South Yorkshire.

The donation from Aesseal to Laptops for Kids was praised by Rotherham Council leader Cllr Chris Read, who called it “a tremendous gesture from AESSEAL which befits their commitment to our local community, and expanding opportunities for local people”.

He added: “I’m really pleased that the council is able to work alongside them and our schools to ensure that more IT equipment will get to the children who will most benefit from it.

“In what has been the most awful year, this is another example of how our community comes together to look after each other and overcome the challenges that we face.”

The estimated need for laptops and dongles across Rotherham and South Yorkshire is based on detailed survey data supplied by Sheffield schools.

Other companies who have supported the campaign in South Yorkshire include data firm Blancco, educational published Twinkl and software firm WANdisco.

Anyone who wants to donate devices or cash should visit www.LTFK.co.uk for mhttp://www.LTFK.co.ukore information.