Commercial IT equipment from Haverfordwest based fresh produce producer Puffin Produce Ltd has been given a new lease of life for students at Queen Elizabeth High School in Carmarthen.

Puffin Produce has made a donation of eight laptops through the Business2Schools initiative.

Puffin Produce’s donation to Business2Schools was allocated to Queen Elizabeth High School in Carmarthen whose business manager, Mr. Nigel Cooke, had signed the school up to the scheme.

Mr. Cooke explained: “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.”

Speaking about the donation, headteacher at Queen Elizabeth High School, Mr. Dave Williams said: “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. Twenty-four per cent of our students 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, explained: “Our operation at Puffin Produce 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.”

Jonathon continued: “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, sustainability executive who registered Puffin Produce with the scheme, commented: “Puffin Produce is delighted to be involved in this great initiative offered by Business2Schools. Not only are we helping our local school community 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!”

Once a school registers with the Business2Schools scheme, they will be linked with an inventory of donated equipment and can select and accept the items that suit their particular needs.

For further details on Business2Schools visit: www.business2schools.com