DONATING LAPTOPS TO DIVERSE ABILITIES - DISABILITY CHARITY
At the beginning of the summer, Caspian One’s office received a significant technical upgrade. As a byproduct, we were left with a number of high quality laptops; all well maintained, but no longer needed by the business.
Instead of destroying or selling these machines, we realised that donating the laptops could make a significant difference to the lives of others. With Directors and board agreeing, we decided to contact Langside in Poole, UK - a charity run school supporting 2.5yr to nineteen year olds, born with profound learning disabilities and complex medical needs.
On September 25th we had the pleasure of visiting Langside, meeting with the passionate Nicole Warrilow. Nicole was kind enough to show us around the facilities, introducing us to the incredible teachers at Langside along with the wonderful children they support!
“We are thrilled that Caspian One chose one of Diverse Abilities’ services, Langside School, to donate to. The laptops were offered to our families, who were very eager and grateful for the gift. Living with disabilities can be challenging for the whole family, so these laptops will be a well-deserved treat for parents and siblings alike.”
- Nicole Warrilow, Corporate & Community Manager.
Langside School, which is part of Diverse Abilities the Dorset disability charity, is a very unique educational facility. The joy you feel walking around the school is infectious - you can’t help but want to smile when you see the pupils and staff together!
With the capacity to provide individually tailored care for up to 28 children (currently at 25), Langside benefits from having nursing and medical staff on-hand; something unseen at other similar schools.
This allows them to both teach and provide supportive therapy 9am-3pm daily, without the need to disrupt routines that are vitally important to the pupils.
During our visit we experienced the specialist care offered by Langside; sitting in on a ‘bounce’ therapy session designed to help children feel more weightless on a trampoline… offering them the ability to move freely without constraint. Additionally we explored their new sensory spaces, learned about the personalised curriculums offered to each child, and discovered the history of this wonderful school.
In the classrooms we met children who were clearly flourishing in this environment… from toddler triplets enjoying their lunch and bubbles outside (as met in the video above); to Angel - a wonderful girl who communicates through eyesight and had a truly beautiful personality.
The school and charity receives statutory funding from local and educational authorities, along with support from grants. However its fundraising and charitable donations that make a vital difference; helping purchase complex, specialist equipment and pay for the services required to care for children (and adults) with multiple physical and learning disabilities. They believe every child deserves an education, no matter how complex a disability they have.
The laptops we’ve donated are going to the families and siblings of children at Langside School, helping with their day-to-day and educational needs. For us at Caspian One the charity holds a unique place in our hearts and we’ll be looking to support them more in the future.
“I know about Langside school through a few school friends of mine whose children attend, so the decision to donate our old equipment to Langside was an easy one for me to make. Even better knowing that they’re going to the families who work tirelessly fundraising for Langside and truly value what the school does for their children, it’s a wonderful feeling to give something back to them. Visiting the school was a wonderful experience and the children were so calm and happy which is a credit to all the staff who work there.” - Katie Roberts, Operations Manager at Caspian One
If you would like to learn more about Langside School, the charity Diverse Abilities or discover how you can donate - learn more by visiting https://diverseabilities.org.uk/langside/
