One of the leading worldwide providers of portable accommodation and secure storage containers, Mobile Mini UK, has provided pupils at Monkwearmouth Academy in Sunderland with over £15,000 worth of computer equipment this month. The donation has been made as part of a company-wide commitment to supporting the next generation of talent in the region.

All of the 75 Lenovo ThinkCentre PCs were purchased less than three years ago at £695 each. They have been collected from Mobile Mini sites across the UK over the past four months and each computer has been professionally wiped and prepped by the IT team. Every unit has now been delivered for use by the school students ahead of this summer.

This initiative was born out of an internal move at Mobile Mini towards laptops and remote working flexibility during the coronavirus pandemic. The company previously invested over £220,000 in laptops and docking stations for staff across 16 strategically placed sites throughout England, Scotland and Wales. Rather than looking to recoup funds from existing computer towers within the business, Mobile Mini saw an opportunity to make a useful contribution to the benefit of the local community.

Chris Fay, Commercial Director says, “Mobile Mini has a longstanding history of providing opportunities for young people. From charitable campaigns to apprenticeships and internships, we remain fully committed to supporting and encouraging the next generation. These computers were only purchased in 2019 and remain perfectly operational, so rather than being sold or recycled, we reached out to Monkwearmouth Academy, who are located close to our UK head offices.

“We have seen first-hand what a difference having up-to-date technology can make to our employees and we wanted to take this opportunity to share those benefits with emerging talent in the region. Everyone at the school has been highly appreciative of our donation and we are thrilled to see the positive effect this will have in contributing to the learning of students.”

Monkwearmouth Academy is a state secondary school in Sunderland, Tyne and Wear, for pupils aged between 11 and 16. On the recent donation by Mobile Mini, Paul Moorhead, Facilities Manager said, “These computers will be used as part of our new library and learning resource centre. Here, students will have the opportunity to use the computers to help them improve their literacy levels through programmes such as Accelerated Reader and Lexia. Improving literacy levels helps to enrich all areas of our student’s lives.”

Mobile Mini UK is headquartered in Stockton-on-Tees and has a fleet of over 40,000 portable units for a variety of storage solutions and strategically placed sites throughout the UK. Over 7% of employees at Mobile Mini are qualified Mental Health First Aiders and in recent times the business has invested in life-saving defibrillator equipment for all branches as well as installing new safety features on an upgraded fleet of crane-mounted trucks.