Page 32 - Gi August 2020

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INDUSTRIAL AFFILIATES distributed to primary and secondary
schools to support home-learning for
their pupils with the remainder going to
youth charity the Prince’s Trust.
NATIONAL GRID SUPPORTS Prince’s Trust, said: “Covid-19 has
Ian Jeffers, Deputy CEO of the
HOME LEARNING AND made life harder for young people who
are already facing multiple barriers.
The laptops from National Grid, along
SKILLS DEVELOPMENT WITH with connectivity packages, will make a
significant difference to what our young
people can achieve in the coming weeks
DONATION OF 1,000 LAPTOPS and months and will be a key way for
our network of volunteer mentors and
youth workers to stay connected with
young people during lockdown.”
Over 50 laptops have already been
distributed to Cambois Primary
School in Blyth, Northumberland.
Accompanied by ‘Griddles’ the teddy
bear, the laptops will help young pupils
to keep in touch with their teachers
during the lockdown and will then be
returned to the school for continued use
once it reopens.
Jeremy Cohen, Head of Responsible
Business at National Grid, said: “Even
as thousands of schools prepare to
reopen, there can be no doubt that many
children will be feeling the effects of
time away from the classroom and either
having to compete with other family
members for access to technology or
having nothing at all. We’re delighted
therefore to be working with these
charities, which are playing an essential
role in supporting schools and young
people at this challenging time.”
National Grid has also made a
SCHOOLCHILDREN AND YOUNG are worth over £200,000, are being £500,000 donation to the National
adults across the country will benefit distributed in partnership with five Emergencies Trust and the Trussell
from a donation of 1,000 laptops from charities with the aim of supporting Trust and is encouraging colleagues
National Grid. people through the Covid-19 pandemic. to volunteer for half a day a week to
The refurbished laptops, which Eight hundred laptops are being support their local communities.

MARTIN GREENHALGH JOINS AVK UK AS MANAGING DIRECTOR

MARTIN GREENHALGH has joined Belize and Chile. Most recently, grappled directly with similar
AVK UK as Managing Director. Martin Martin was Commercial Operations challenges to those faced by the UK
steps into the shoes of Paul Jennings, Director at global water technology water and gas industries at present. I
who has been with AVK UK for 13 giant, Xylem. empathise with the difficult decisions
years, while Paul has taken up a new “Xylem is similar to AVK in many they are having to make,” he added.
position on the AVK UK Board as ways. It is a global multinational, it has Martin said he believes in getting
Director – Special Projects. a strong portfolio of brand names and it to the nub of an opportunity or
A mechanical and electrical is active across products, services and challenge as quickly as possible: “I am
engineer by training, Martin has project engineering. The experience of fundamentally an engineer who has
held Director and Managing Director managing this degree of diversity will accumulated a mass of commercial
positions with multinational be a great help in my exciting new role and management acumen over the
businesses like Biwater and at AVK UK,” said Martin. years. I am a direct and open person
SembCorp Utilities for over 20 years. “In my career I have had the who prefers to say it as it is, and I want
He has worked extensively overseas opportunity to run water utilities people to relate to me in the same way.
in territories as diverse as Indonesia, in Indonesia and Belize, so I have “I am really looking forward to

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