£25,000 donation from William Grant and Sons to keep Speyside pupils connected
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PUPILS in Speyside are benefitting from a £25,000 donation of laptops and wifi dongles from distillers William Grant and Sons.
The devices are being distributed through primary and secondary schools to families identified as requiring support to stay connected for online learning.
Families at Speyside High School and Aberlour, Craigellachie, Knockando, Mortlach and Rothes primary schools will benefit from the donations.
Moray Council quality improvement manager Karen Lees said: “We know that future localised outbreaks of any sort, not just the current covid-19, could result in blended or online learning being the default for some pupils.
"In order to future-proof our preparations for this, ensuring access to wifi connections and required technology is crucial.
“We are extremely grateful to William Grant and Sons for recognising how beneficial this type of donation is for families in Speyside.”
Councillor Sonya Warren, chair of the children and young people’s services committee, said: “Moray Council had been considering its programme of improving access to technology for learning prior to lockdown, but the global pandemic accelerated the need for this support.
“For William Grant and Sons to step in and support Speyside families in this way is an extremely generous gesture and one that means we are able to keep families in some of the most remote parts of Moray connected.”
Kirsty Dagnan, William Grant & Sons Dufftown Site Leader, added: “As a family-owned Scottish company, supporting local communities across the areas we operate in is important to us.
“Through this donation, we are delighted to show our support for families across Speyside by ensuring students have access to the technology they need to continue learning remotely.”
