Member Article

Business’ special donation to a special school

A Newcastle businessman who 12 years ago gave a Benwell school for children with additional needs £1800 to replace computers which had been stolen by heartless thieves has teamed up with them again to help buy much needed equipment.

Rob Armstrong, director of leading recruitment agency; MTrec Recruitment and Newcastle taxi firm, LA Taxis, heard about the urgent need for specialist equipment for Hadrian School when he was asked to sponsor the General Manager of the Hilton Newcastle Gateshead, Martin Robinson in a charity fund raising event.

Hadrian School, a primary day school for children with special education needs school caters for the needs of pupils aged between two and eleven years with a range of additional needs including complex, severe learning difficulties and profound and multiple learning difficulties. It has established itself as ‘an outstanding school’ winning many accolades from Ofsted, Charter Mark and Investors in Children. The school has around 120 pupils and also provides courses and support to parents relating to their children’s disabilities. The increasing cost of specialised equipment means that the school is constantly looking at ways to raise funds to buy equipment such as a customised chair which can cost up to £2500.

The Hilton event, Around the World in a Day, saw staff and customers in every Hilton hotel cumulatively travelling the circumference of the Earth in just one day by running, swimming or jogging. With Mr Armstrong’s donation and that from the Hilton, the school will receive more than £3000 to buy new equipment for the benefit of the children.

Head teacher Chris Rollings was delighted with the generous donation. “Having large businesses such as the Hilton, LA Taxis and MTrec Recruitment take a real interest in what we do is fantastic, it’s great to know that the children are benefiting from the generosity of these Newcastle and Gateshead businesses.”

But it doesn’t stop there; Mr Armstrong was so moved by the work done by the teaching staff that he has donated the use of his box at Newcastle United for a match in the new season which he is confident will raise thousands of pounds more for the school and the children.

“Kids with disabilities are very close to my heart,” said Mr Armstrong, “MTrec Recruitment sponsors the North East Ability Counts Football League for children of all abilities and I know how important it is to have the right support, equipment and dedication to make sure that they have the best possible quality of life. As a father myself, it’s very humbling to see the work that goes on here and anything I can do to help, I will.”

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Keith Newman .