Aberdeenshire company donates more than 30 computers to help set secondary school pupils on path to success

ACE Winches is playing its part in setting the next generation up for success after donating dozens of computers to a north-east secondary school.

The Aberdeenshire company, which is a global leader global leader in lifting, pulling and deploying solutions across multiple sectors, has handed over 33 computers to senior pupils at Turriff Academy to furnish a classroom in the school’s technologies department.

The donation to Chairman Alfie Cheyne’s old school comes after the company invested in new IT equipment – leaving a number of surplus machines which bosses wanted to go to good use.

ACE Winches Chief Compliance Officer Valerie Cheyne said: 
“Rather than send the computers to landfill, we wanted to give something back to the community. The machines are all in perfect working order with plenty of life left in them, and it makes sense for the youngsters at the academy to get the use of them. 

“Investing in our people is a core value of the company and we have a proud history of helping youngsters from across the north-east build strong careers through our graduate and modern apprenticeship schemes in areas such as engineering and administration.

“We are delighted to be able to help the pupils at Turriff Academy as they edge towards the start of their own careers, and are keen to work with more schools to help develop youngsters and prepare them as best we can for the world of work. 

“As a former teacher, I know the value donations like this can bring to pupils and the wider school, and I am hopeful of seeing some of the pupils we are able to support join the ACE Winches family in years to come.”

Turriff Academy Headteacher Lee Menzies welcomed the company’s donation. She said: 
“We are extremely grateful to ACE Winches for this hugely generous donation of 33 PCs for the school.

“They all come with a very high spec, better than some of our older computers at the Academy, and with this donation we can kit out a full classroom or library in the school.

“We’ll be putting the new machines to use for a variety of different purposes to benefit our pupils’ learning.”

The donation from the Towie Barclay-based firm comes after the company was announced as title sponsor of one Scotland’s largest maritime events, the Scottish Traditional Boat Festival which takes place in Portsoy in July.

Valerie added: 
“While we have grown into an international business since our formation in 1992, we are a local business at heart and are committed to helping the areas in which our employees live and work as much as possible.”

As well as its Aberdeenshire site, ACE Winches also has facilities in Norway and the United States and conducts operations across the globe.

KeyFacts Energy Industry Directory: ACE Winches