With the pandemic highlighting the digital hardship that many families face, Kinteract, an EdTech company based in Melton Mowbray, were keen to do their bit for the community by raising money to help primary schools in the local area fund classroom supplies and devices for pupils.
According to research by communications regulator Ofcom, an estimated 1.78 million children in the UK don’t have access to a laptop or digital device, and 7% of households can only access the internet via a mobile phone connection.
To raise awareness of the cause and increase donations, the team took part in a sponsored walk on the 6th and 7th March, collectively hiking over 256 miles – which is the equivalent of nearly 10 marathons.
To comply with Covid-19 restrictions, each of the nine participating team members walked solo within their different counties which included Leicestershire, Rutland, Nottinghamshire, Worcestershire and London.
Armed with coffee and cake, some of the team took to the footpaths in their home towns to clock up the miles, others chose to complete a more scenic route by climbing the hills, and a brave few even decided to do multiple walks in one day.
Nicole Eley, customer success manager at Kinteract, said: “We are delighted with the amount of the money the team has raised and have exceeded our initial target of £1000.
“Over the next few weeks, we will be consulting with schools to establish which equipment is needed to help educate the children and facilitate the learning process. This will include everything from books and stationery to tablets and laptops. When the government gives the green light, we plan to continue our fundraising efforts by hosting bake sales and arranging another team walk.”
