Member Article

Notts County Foundation to receive cutting-edge Education Suite thanks to two East Midlands heavyweights

Notts County Foundation is set to benefit from a cutting-edge new education computer suite thanks to a local MSP and a fifth generation family run business, enabling it to provide vital support to some of Nottinghamshire’s most disadvantaged young people.

Nottingham-based managed IT specialists IDT and Wathall’s funeral directors of Derby have joined forces to provide Notts County Foundation with the state-of-the-art facility completely free of charge, saving the organisation around £15,000 – the estimated outlay needed to upgrade its IT systems.

The generous donation was orchestrated by IDT’s Managing Director Luke Draper, who knows the team at Notts County Foundation well having established his business in the city over 20 years ago. The new suite will allow the charity to provide young people who have little or no access to a computer with much-needed IT facilities.

Chloe Gibson, HR and Office Manager of Notts County Foundation, said: “As a charity we provide life-changing opportunities through sport and physical activity. However, what people may not realise is that a major part of our work involves delivering education programmes to some of the most disadvantaged young people in the county and beyond.”

“I started to discuss options with Luke from IDT and his words still strike me now. He simply said, ‘Leave this with me.’”

Draper said: “I’m very much in awe of what Notts County Foundation does. As a business it’s great to play a part in helping young people in the area, and it means a lot to me that local kids will now be able to enjoy the best IT equipment available.”

The charity’s new computer suite previously belonged to Derby-based Wathall’s – the longest established independent funeral director in the city – whose IT systems are managed by IDT.

Draper explains: “Having worked with and supported Wathall’s for over 15 years now, and knowing the IT project we’re currently working on together, I saw this as a great opportunity to relocate some old equipment which is actually less than 18 months old. I knew Helen Wathall would champion the cause and when I explained my thought process she immediately came on board.”

IDT and Wathall’s decided to make the donation based on shared values.

Helen Wathall MBE, Managing Director at Wathall’s, said: “We’ve always donated our old IT equipment to organisations such as the charity, so when Luke approached me and explained his thoughts, what the education suite will do and the benefits it will bring I immediately jumped on-board. I trust Luke and his team implicitly. All I had to do was say yes and let IDT handle the rest.”

Draper adds: “Our values as a business begin and end with my own. ‘Being human’ is much more than a clichéd line which reads well on your webpage. It’s the essence of what makes us. Helping to connect people is one of the most satisfying parts of what we do, and if doing this results in one young person getting a better education and more opportunities in life then it is 100 percent worth my time.”

Chloe Gibson adds: “A lot of the young people we support do not have access to IT equipment, but now they will be able to enjoy the very best. We can’t wait to get everything up and running. It’s going to make such a difference to so many people. We can’t thank IDT and Wathall’s enough!

“While there is normally a great rivalry between Nottingham and Derby, good people like Luke and Helen make the East Midlands feel a lot closer.”

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by John Walker .