Staff and children at a Trafford school were devastated when thieves broke in and stole 20 classroom computers – but now their tears have turned to joy.
Trafford Council and Trafford Housing Trust have worked together to replace the St Alphonsus Primary laptops after hearing the dreadful news about the break-in.
Holly Townhill, from Trafford Council, was given the computers by Trafford Housing Trust and visited the Old Trafford school to hand them over to the delight of staff and pupils alike.
Burglars struck at the Hamilton Street school on September 21, 2021, and made off with school cash and more than 20 laptops and other computer devices. Children at the school had been using the laptops in class and at home and they were crucial to their learning.
School head teacher Tina Birds said:
“We were devastated after the break in and couldn’t believe it had happened. Thank you so much to Trafford Housing Trust and Trafford Council for this lovely donation - it has given everybody at the school a huge lift. These laptops were so crucial to our children and their education and I am delighted they have been replaced.
“It is also perfect timing as we are on half term. Again, thank you so much for the donation – it means so much to us all.”
Cllr Mike Freeman, Trafford Council’s Executive Member for Covid 19 Recovery and Reform, said:
"There are few things more terrible than the impact of burglary but directed at school premises and stealing learning equipment vital to our children’s education is particularly despicable. Trafford Council is delighted to have played a part in helping the school replace the laptops and we are grateful to our partner Trafford Housing Trust.
“We are committed to ensuring children in our borough have the best access to learning and computers. Thank you very much to everyone who made this happen.”
Larry Gold, Chief Executive of Trafford Housing Trust, said:
“We’re really pleased to be able to support the students at St Alphonsus Primary following the break in with the laptop donation. Being safe and confident online is increasingly essential in education, so we’re glad to be doing what we can to support the pupils’ digital education as part of our on-going investment into the lives of young people in our communities.”
Trafford Council itself runs a very successful laptop lending scheme from libraries across the borough. The scheme enables people who do not have their own device to get online and access digital services. Anyone interested in the scheme should call 0161 912 3189 and a member of the Libraries team will be happy to help.
Posted on Monday 25th October 2021