Local schoolchildren expressed their joy after a kindhearted Abergavenny restauranteur donated eight iPads to their a local primary school.

Andreas Christou gifted the state-of-the-art iPads to Cantref Primary School last week after reading in this newspaper about controversial cuts to school budgets.

Public opposition to those cuts then forced Monmouthshire County Council into a climbdown.

Presenting the gift, Andreas met with children, and members of the Parent Teacher Association, alongside Matt Davies, deputy head of Cantref Primary School.

Andreas told the Chronicle, “I’ve read about the funding cuts to school budgets, and people worrying about that.

“So, I thought I would do my best to help out.

“We have a few more iPads to donate. And we are looking to help more local schools in future.

“The children seemed very happy—they were enjoying playing with the iPads. We are looking to help more local schools in future,” he said.

Monmouthshire County Council’s budget proposal last month outlined a two per cent snip in school money.

Elspeth Lewis, head at King Henry VIII school, said in a letter that the proposed cut would cause serious issues in the day-to-day running of her school, echoing the concerns of some local councillors.

Concerned parents then met with Mrs Lewis, and school staff, at Abergavenny Library to discuss opposition to MCC’s mooted plans.

The county council later u-turned, saying that there was ‘no appetite for budget cuts’.

Anna Price, chair of the school’s Parent Teacher Association, thanked Andreas for his donation.

“We are overwhelmed with the generosity from Andreas and Casa Bianca.

“This is going to make a huge difference to the children and their education. It would have taken us at the PTA months to raise the kind of money.

“We are really appreciative of what they have done for us. It is a really big help, both for the teachers and staff at Cantref, and the children.

“It’ll make a huge difference to their education. We really cannot thank them enough.”

Matt Davies, deputy head of Cantref Primary, said:

“We are incredibly grateful to Mr Andreas Christou of Casa Bianca, Abergavenny, for this kind donation of eight iPads to Cantref Primary School, which will no doubt have a significant impact on the children’s learning opportunities.

“The iPads will enable pupils to develop their skills alongside the New Curriculum for Wales and the Digital Competency Framework (DCF), allowing them to become more creative both inside and outside of their classroom areas.

“This technology acts as a stimulus within lessons and provides rich experiences for the pupils to collaborate in group led tasks within the freedom and safety of the school grounds.

“Our mission at Cantref Primary School is to inspire our pupils to become confident, independent learners, who share and develop their ideas effectively.

“The addition of technology develops excitement within our school and amongst the children and this can only be beneficial to their learning environment.”

Councillor Richard John, Cabinet Member for Children, Young People and MonLife, welcomed the news. He said,

“Our schools in Monmouthshire greatly benefit from the generosity and community spirit of local families and businesses.

“This charitable donation of iPads from Casa Bianca will come as a great benefit to children at Cantref Primary School, as digital competence becomes increasingly even more valuable as a life skill.”