North Wales construction company backs local charity aiming to provide all Year 10 and 11 pupils with learning resources

A North Wales construction company has given its backing to a local charity supporting children in remote learning during lockdown.

The ‘Wynne Futures Foundation’, set up by Bodelwyddan-based Wynne Construction, has donated £1,000 to The Neumark Charitable Foundation, which is aiming to provide laptops to pupils across North Wales.

The ‘Make I.T. Happen’ campaign has so far donated 340 Chromebooks worth £72,000 to pupils in Wrexham and Flintshire but hundreds more are needed, according to the foundation.

Rebecca Prytherch, Neumark Charitable Foundation’s CEO, said: “We are currently working with six local authorities to provide machines for Year 10 and Year 11 pupils.

“We urgently require additional funding partners to make this happen. I and my funding Manager Phillipa Davies are already liaising with two local authorities, but requests are flooding in from the four other local authorities who urgently need help.”

Alison Hourihane, Business and Community Development Manager at Wynne Construction, added: “It’s vital that pupils have access to computers, and that families aren’t having to choose between home working parents earning a living and children receiving their education.

“Supporting young people at the start of their careers is at the heart of what we do with Wynne Futures, so we’re really pleased to help the Neumark Foundation with this.”

It is estimated each Chromebook costs approximately £200, so the fundraising goal of £100,000 would see around 500 more laptops be distributed to pupils across North Wales.

The Neumark Charitable Foundation however say that, due to a recent survey, nearly 2,000 pupils are currently without access to online resources in Denbighshire alone.

Peter Neumark, who set up the foundation with his wife Maria and daughter Rebecca Prytherch, said: “It is critical that as much as possible we support the provision of technology as quickly as we can where there are gaps, to prevent these young people from falling behind at what is already such a difficult and stressful time for them.

“We hope that by providing the necessary technology, we will enable essential online home learning, and reduce anxiety levels by supporting communication with their teachers, as well as their classroom peers.

“We would urge any businesses and organisations who would like to support this urgent need to get in touch, so that we can coordinate with the local authorities and schools in North Wales, by ordering and distributing devices as quickly as possible to where they are needed most.”

To donate to the Neumark Charitable Foundation, go to their GoFundMe page here.