British watchmaker provides computers for vulnerable children during lockdown
Among the many challenges presented by Covid-19 has been the difficulty involved with home schooling. With mainstream schools currently closed to all but the most vulnerable and children of key workers, there are real fears that pupils from disadvantaged backgrounds, without access to digital devices and the internet access needed for remote learning, will fall behind their peers.
As we come up to the one-year anniversary of the UK’s first national lockdown, the effects on children’s learning and development of prolonged periods out of school are starting to rise to the surface. It is painfully obvious that the pandemic has not been felt equally by all. Children from different backgrounds have had home-learning experiences that are poles apart, with those already most marginalised being hit hardest by lack of resources. Underlining the issue, UK children’s charity Barnardo’s says that it has received more than 500 requests in a single week for tablet/laptop support to enable distance learning.
With disruption to education set to continue indefinitely, initiatives like Barnardo’s Coronavirus Crisis Appeal, aimed at helping vulnerable families, is more relevant than ever. Last year, as well as providing food vouchers, online therapy sessions and mental health packs, the appeal funded the purchase of hundreds of new laptops, tablets and mobile phones for children and young people, in addition to refurbished devices that were distributed thanks to the charity’s Great British Tech Appeal in partnership with Vodafone.
Luxury British watch brand Bremont has now announced that it will be joining Barnardo’s in its efforts to redress the balance by donating one laptop for every Bremont watch sold between now and 31 March 2021. The laptops will be distributed to vulnerable children nationwide by Barnardo’s.
The idea grew out of an existing plan to work with institutions at a more local level when Bremont co-founders Nick and Giles English became aware of issues involving digital access close to their home in Oxfordshire. The problem was highlighted after the first schools' closure in March 2020 and, at that point, the brothers decided to expand their initial idea by working with a trusted organisation that could help deliver support across the UK.
“In the first lockdown, we helped by supporting the Food for Heroes initiative [by making and selling limited-edition bracelets] and raised a lot of money to provide meals for NHS workers,” says Giles. “Going into this current lockdown we wanted to keep our support going for people we felt needed help; we’re all acutely aware of how truly extraordinary these times are and it’s certainly a time to pull together.
“Watching a BBC broadcast about disadvantaged children, unable to learn at home, really made me mindful of the particular issue around digital poverty. We, as a business, passionately believe that every child should have access to learning and as a result came up with a clear action plan that will raise money and provide the right tools for learning to those most in need.”
Speaking of the decision to work with Barnardo’s, Giles continues: “Barnardo’s is the largest UK children’s charity and at the start of the pandemic it ran a Crisis Appeal, which we discovered they were looking to restart in light of the latest UK lockdown. We knew that Barnardo’s could deliver exactly the kind of support that we were looking to offer and as a matter of urgency. Barnardo’s is a wonderful charity doing such a brilliant job and the Crisis Appeal is the perfect vehicle for us to work with them on.”
Sign up for the Telegraph Luxury newsletter for your weekly dose of exquisite taste and expert opinion.
