Kirkcaldy NHS support worker donates new laptop to town school to support lockdown learning
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Paul Gilmour, from Kirkcaldy, paid a visit to his former school recently with the donation.
The move comes after Paul wrote a book, ‘Drifting Into Darkness’, about his personal experiences of ill health and surgery and kindly decided to use the proceeds from its sale to sponsor an annual prize at the school over the next five years.
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Hide AdPaul said: "It was while I was recovering from my latest major abdominal surgery in August that I decided it was time to write about my experiences and various spells of poor health and operations throughout my life.
"I have wanted to do something charitable for a while and initially was going to donate to Crohns and Colitis UK, but then had the idea that it would be good to use the proceeds from the sale of my book a bit more locally.
"Being an ex pupil, I decided to fund a prize at Kirkcaldy High School's prizegiving, to perhaps make a difference to a pupil who may not otherwise be in a position to buy one themselves.
"I was acutely aware of the need for learning equipment due to home schooling during the pandemic."
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Hide AdThe school identified Kiera Quinn (16) as this year’s prizewinner and Derek Allan, rector, was delighted to introduce Paul, whose daughter Emma also attended the school, to Kiera at the presentation.
Mr Allan said: "Kiera is a very worthy winner. She is a diligent and hard working student with a great attitude, and we know that this device will help her with her studies."
He added: "This is such a generous gesture, we cannot thank Paul enough, especially given the back story here.”
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Hide AdKiera explained that the laptop would greatly help with her studies, particularly Latin, which involves research and reading. She said: "This laptop will make all the difference for me, and I'll be able to use it at college too. I'm so grateful to Paul. He is an NHS hero.”
Paul Gilmour's book ‘Drifting Into Darkness’ is available online or from Paul's social media pages. Mr Allan said IT equipment donations are very welcome at this time and invited potential donors to call 01592 583405 to discuss.