The Stafford-based company has teamed up with ‘Schools for Gambia’ to distribute 20 computers and hundreds of notepads to children across the region. Altecnic is also donating over 2000 T-shirts and hundreds of mugs that will be sent to people living in some of the poorest villages in the area.

Altecnic began to support the charity when technical engineer Ian Watson met charity founder Mae Winterton on a flight back from Gambia where he’d been on a working holiday.

Ian commented: "Altecnic has recently undergone a rebrand so we’d got a lot of office supplies that we could no longer use. After meeting Mae, I spoke to our managing director Alan Sherwin and he agreed they should be put to good use and they’re now on their way to Africa! It’s such a worthwhile charity and I’m hoping to visit Gambia soon to see where the computers have been installed and help out by doing some painting and tiling in some of the schools."

Schools for Gambia was established in 1990 after Mae and her family witnessed first hand the poverty and hardship suffered by the people living away from the tourist areas of Gambia. Since the charity was founded, it has built 15 schools and installed hundreds of clean water hand pump wells helping the lives of thousands.

Charity founder, Mae Winterton, said: "Altecnic’s kind donation will improve the lives of hundreds of people. In remote areas children have to sit on the floor and write with a stick in the dust, so to have their own notebook is something they treasure. We’re installing the computers in the towns were they have access to electricity until 1 o’clock in the afternoon so both the children and adults will be able to learn to use them."

Anyone who would like to become involved in Schools for Gambia can visit its website www.schoolsforgambia.org.uk