PETT donation helps children in East Cheshire ‘think ability, not disability’

Friends for Leisure’s (FFL) aim is to help to reduce the social exclusion and relieve the stress of children and young people in the Cheshire East area.  The charity delivers a range of activities from sports or drama sessions through to group based support for young people aged 5 to 21, with an emphasis on ‘think ability, not disability’.  Friends for Leisure’s objectives fit perfectly with the Prism Empowering Through Technology’s (PETT) ethos which is to help third sector organisations in need, both within our local community and beyond.

The PETT scheme has supported FFL for a long while, in fact this year marks the 10th anniversary.  PETT has helped to empower FFL through their period of growth over recent years by donating more than £41k worth of IT equipment and services.

Much more than just a donation

The support PETT provides is not just financial, it also comprises IT equipment, engineers time, PC hardware and upgrades, as well as the financial element which is raised through a variety of fun events such as Sky Dives, Race nights, Christmas jumper days and cake sales; which all make up the significant donation total.

More recently, seven ‘All in one’ PCs were upgraded, donated and installed by PETT’s  support engineers.  Talking about the project, Gareth Salmon, who led PETT’s technical team said “It was a pleasure to work with Gillian, Barry and all of the team at FFL to help upgrade their IT infrastructure. The organisation does such worthwhile work and I was delighted we could provide them with the equipment, skills and time to improve their daily IT needs.”

Improving productivity 

The outcome for the charity is that all desktops were upgraded, now delivering an infrastructure which is faster and more efficient, with high end business grade IT and security.  For the charity workers their end user productivity and efficiency are better as systems run quicker and are more stable.   The physical working environment has also improved as volunteers have more available space at their desks and larger, clearer screens to work from, giving them more space to think clearly too.

Gillian Jones, the charity’s manager, has said “FFL’s relationship with PRISM has gone from strength to strength over the last 10 years and, in my view, is an example of Corporate Social Responsibility at its very best. By PRISM doing what they do best, the team at FFL can do what they do best – making a real difference to the lives of disabled children and young people. Everyone involved with the charity is grateful to PRISM for their continued support.”

Next steps

Financially, it is a difficult time for small charities and securing funding to sustain and improve will continue to be a challenge for FFL. But the demand for the charity’s service is growing and Gillian and her team are passionate about continuing the professional and much-valued support that they offer to disabled children and their families.

How can PETT help my organisation?

There are 3 potential ways in which PETT could assist your organisation: a hardware donation, technology funding or training.

Please visit www.friendsforleisure.org.uk for more information

Please visit www.pett.uk.com for further information.