Longhurst Group donates laptops to Northamptonshire charity to help them provide support
29 September 2022
Longhurst Group has donated six laptops to a Northamptonshire charity which offers support to those facing challenges in their lives.
We’ve gifted the laptops to Encompass - the new name of East Northants Community Services (ENCS).
It’s hoped the laptops will help the charity continue to offer vital support to those facing challenges including homelessness, addiction, poverty and food crisis.
Jo Burns, Chief Executive of Encompass, said: “What’s often viewed as something simple like a laptop can make things so much easier for our clients, in an environment where there are already a lot of barriers and challenges.
“These laptops are going to be a huge help in what we do and we plan to use them across several of our services.
“Two laptops will be used in our dry houses, which are follow-on projects for our rehab programmes. These are houses which men who’ve completed our six-month rehabilitation project live in for on average one year, and they rebuild their lives; rebuild relationships with families, undertake training and education or volunteer work and eventually are helped to move on into permanent accommodation.
“These men will often undertake NVQs whilst volunteering and they are also encouraged to gain employment with us where possible. The laptops will make this much easier for them, and they’ll also be able to more easily access the Universal Credit system, look for opportunities in volunteering and employment and even just make contact with family and friends who don’t live locally.
What’s often viewed as something simple like a laptop can make things so much easier for our clients, in an environment where there are already a lot of barriers and challenges.
“Two of the laptops will be used in our day centre, mainly for use by volunteers who are there to help clients with application forms for housing or attending online appointments and the other two laptops will be used in our homeless accommodation.
“We’re so thankful to Longhurst Group for their support and kind donation.”
Sareeta Sharma, Community Investment Lead for the South, said that the laptops had been provided by our new repairs contractor for the region, Fortem Solutions.
She added: “We’ve got an excellent relationship with Fortem Solutions, who are very keen to ensure they contribute to our community investment programme.
“We know how vital these laptops will be for a charity such as Encompass and we’re delighted to hear how they’re likely to be used and the difference they’ll hopefully make to clients of the charity.
“I’m looking forward to hearing about the positive outcomes as a result of this donation and I’m sure we’ll continue to work closely with Encompass moving forward.”