LOCAL specialist education provider Inclusion Hampshire received an early Christmas present with a donation of laptops.

The charity, which provides bespoke learning for young people with mental health and additional needs struggling to access mainstream education, received the equipment from Serco as part of their Corporate Responsibility Campaign.

The scheme, in partnership with Microsoft and Greenspace, donated 80 laptops to a variety of deserving causes, nominated by members of staff.

Inclusion Hampshire were lucky enough to be nominated and received two laptops to help support their work.

Inclusion chief executive Cheryl Edwards was delighted with the donation, she said: "We are so grateful for this wonderful donation and for being put forward for consideration for the scheme. This year has thrown a lot of challenges our way, with much of our learning having to move online for part of the year.

"Families and young people have been amongst the hardest hit by the economic effects of the pandemic, with child poverty reaching crisis point. Although schools and specialist education provisions such as Inclusion may be providing excellent online learning and support for those that need it, not all young people will have the equipment to access this.

"We don’t know what the future will bring, but in order to ensure we continue to provide the best education and support for all of our learners, we must have the facility to operate online. Our tutors are able to offer this, but it can only be truly successful if all our learners are able to access this fully. The donation of these laptops can provide a real opportunity to support learning. Thank you so much to Serco, we are so grateful for their support."