KIND-hearted youngsters from a Richmondshire primary school group have donated old laptops to a church which aims to help people struggling with long-term unemployment.

The Influence Church in Victoria Road, Richmond, has taken delivery of around eight laptops from the Federation of Eppleby Forcett and Middleton Tyas Church of England Primary Schools after staff heard about a new course on offer at the church.

Job Club manager at Influence Church Paige Rutherford, who will be leading the workshops, said she was delighted to receive the computers from the students.

Reuben Aston and Jenson Duffy accompanied teacher Tom Judd to the church on Tuesday and said they were pleased their old equipment could be put to good use.

Mrs Rutherford said members of Influence Church wanted to help people struggling to find work, so they underwent specialist training from UK charity Christians Against Poverty.

Now they are offering free weekly workshops to boost the job-hunting process, with one-to-one consultations, group support and practical sessions that cover topics such as identifying strengths, CV writing and interview techniques.

Mrs Rutherford said: “We hope that we can help people to gain the confidence and skills they need to find employment, particularly for those who may have been out of work for a long period of time.

“We would like to thank the Federation of Eppleby Forcett and Middleton Tyas Church of England Primary Schools for donating laptops to support this project.”

The club will run weekly, and stared on Thursday, January 14 at 3pm at Influence Church in Richmond.

As spaces are limited for the course, please get in contact to reserve your place at community@influencechurch.co.uk.