Schools across the county have benefited from a donation of laptops by a renewable energy company.

Students in Hexham and across Northumberland have taken advantage of 81 laptops having been provided by Vattenfall.

With the need of digital devices having soared over the last 15 months due to the pandemic, the partnership between the company, Northumberland County Council and Stone Computing means many children are now able to get online.

The project also means computers can now be refurbished and reused and have been given a second use rather than being thrown away, with Hexham First School one location to be able to take advantage of the scheme.

"We are extremely grateful to Vattenfall for their generous donation of refurbished laptops," said Justine Overton, Headteacher for Hexham First School.

"They will help keep our pupils connected and continue to tackle the wide digital divide”

The donation was also welcomed by County Council Cabinet Member with responsibility for children’s services Guy Renner-Thompson who believed the devices will be a big help.

“We are really grateful for this donation of devices. It will mean more of our children and young people will have access to a device should they need to learn at home, or even when developing their computing knowledge in school," said Guy.

“The continuation of learning is vitally important for our children and young people and it is imperative we continue to support our schools where we are able to. I am sure this will provide a huge relief to many families and the schools that are receiving them.”

Home-schooling and learning virtually has been one of the biggest changes over the course of the pandemic, with more than 3,300 devices now having been donated to young people in community schools with a further 1,500 having been given to academies across the county.

“Due to the Coronavirus pandemic, access to the internet is essential to be able to learn from home," added Jake Dunn, Business Manager at Vattenfall.

"Children without access to laptops have sadly missed out on their education, so we are delighted to be able to help by providing these refurbished laptops.”