London Gatwick laptop scheme raises more than £20,000 for local charities

The scheme, launched in 2022, has seen more than 300 restored laptops purchased in exchange for a minimum £50 donation.

This has resulted in SASH Charity – the charity for East Surrey Hospital and Surrey and Sussex Healthcare NHS Trust – receiving £18,991 since the project’s inception last year.

Air Ambulance Charity Kent Surrey Sussex has so far received £2,500 since they became the new beneficiaries of the scheme in June.

The laptop initiative has taken London Gatwick’s fundraising total for SASH Charity so far this year to £21,152. Further funds have been donated from proceeds of facemask sales at the airport – a scheme that ran during height of the Covid-19 pandemic – as well as coin collections in Gatwick’s terminals, and sponsorship of airport staff for this year’s Run Gatwick event.

The money donated to SASH has facilitated a transformation of the chemotherapy suite at East Surrey Hospital, providing new chairs and relaxing, scenic imagery to create a comfortable and supportive environment for cancer patients undergoing treatment.

The fundraising also helped create a family room in the hospital’s neonatal unit, offering parents a space to bond with their babies, without it feeling like a clinical setting.

Melanie Wrightson, stakeholder engagement manager at London Gatwick said: “The laptop scheme is a fantastic initiative and a great way to not only raise vital funds for our charity partners, but also to reuse and recycle unwanted technology as we upgrade our systems.

“We are thrilled it’s had such a positive uptake and London Gatwick staff have helped transform the chemotherapy suite and neonatal unit at East Surrey Hospital, with huge benefits to patients, families and hospital staff.

“We hope this continues to be a success for the benefit of Air Ambulance Charity Kent Surrey Sussex.”

Andrew Bickerdike, head of charity at SASH Charity said: “Thanks to London Gatwick’s dedicated fundraising initiatives, an extraordinary display of community spirit has translated into remarkable transformations of healthcare services at East Surrey Hospital.

“These efforts have led to the transformation of a chemotherapy suite and enhancing our neonatal services. Donations have played a pivotal role in creating improved environments for patients and their families.”

London Gatwick is investing in its long-term future and its planning application to bring the airport’s Northern Runway into regular use has recently been accepted for detailed examination by the Planning Inspectorate.

This low-impact plan will improve resilience, reduce delays, and provide a significant boost to the national and regional economy by supporting trade, tourism and new jobs.