Swansway Group donates laptops to Lancashire children missing out on education

Family owned Oldham Volkswagen, Swansway Honda Bolton and Motor Match Bolton, have shown their support to struggling families in their areas.

Family owned Oldham Volkswagen, has shown their support to families in Oldham, with a gift of 24 Hewlett Packard laptops, to children who otherwise will continue to struggle with access to education, both during the lockdowns and going forwards.

Also showing their support to the community, Swansway Honda Bolton and Motor Match Bolton, have gifted 11 Hewlett Packard laptops, to children in their area. The gifts on behalf of Oldham Volkswagen, Swansway Honda Bolton and Motor Match Bolton have been delivered to local charities Bolton FM and Home-Start HOST, in a covid-secure way. Bolton FM and Home-Start HOST have ensured safe delivery of this vital equipment, to the children that need them the most.

All 24 of the Oldham laptops have gone to family homes, and seven laptops have gone straight into Bolton homes. Three have gone to the Bolton schools; Mount St Joseph, West Houghton High School and St Catherine’s, to be loaned out as needed. And one has gone to the Bolton charity Fortalice, which supports people affected by domestic violence, as a shared resource.

During the global pandemic, the majority of children across the world have been unable to physically attend school, and education providers have had to move to emergency remote learning. In the UK, this has led to education primarily being delivered as online learning. For those children without access to appropriate technology, this can lead on to significant and possibly long-term disadvantages. Swansway Group, has a long history of investing in the areas where it does business, and was keen to help close the gaps.

Director David Smyth said of the initiative,

“As a family owned business, we are very grateful to all our customers for the support they have shown us. And this is a way we can give back to these communities that has welcomed us so warmly. COVID-19 has put a stop to so many things, but we are determined to help where we can, so that children’s learning is not disrupted any more than is absolutely necessary.

We all know that this year, for so many, the need for family support has never been higher. We were delighted to be able to donate these laptops, which are after all a gateway to learning in 2021, as a gift from our family to the families in need. And hopefully, if there are other businesses that are in a position to do so, they will be encouraged to do the same.”

Sarah Cook, CEO Home-Start HOST said,

“As a family support charity our work has never been more needed than during the last 12 months.  We have helped many families to access food and essentials and have been able to provide toys and activity packs to help to keep children occupied, as well as providing much needed emotional support and reassurance to parents who are often feeling overwhelmed and increasingly isolated.  We were very grateful for Swansway’s generous donation of toys at Christmas and to now be able to help our most disadvantaged families by providing laptops is simply fantastic and something that we know will make a huge difference to our children and their education.”

This is the second joint venture Swansway Group has undertaken with both Home-Start HOST, which supports local families living in poverty. In December Swansway Group delivered hundreds of Christmas gifts to Oldham and Bolton families, to try to ensure that every child had a gift to open on Christmas Day.