Somerset-based charity, School in a Bag, which distribute rucksacks filled with stationery and eating utensils to disadvantaged children around the world, has taken delivery of new SchoolBags which have been specially designed for them by Quadra Bags – who have also added a £10,000 annual corporate patronage to it.
Quadra Bags are one of the leading bag manufacturers in the UK and in October 2018 Managing Director Roger McHugh, invited the School in a Bag team to visit them at their head office in Bury, near Manchester. The aim was to look at the current design of the charity’s rucksack to see if improvements could be made to make it stronger and more durable across different climates and terrains.
Luke Simon, School in a Bag’s Founder & CEO, said: “Getting the invite to visit Roger and his team was like a dream come true – we’ve never had the chance to analyse our rucksacks before and obviously this is a prime part of the whole SchoolBag.
“It’s not until you sit down with some experts in their field, that you realise all the good and bad parts of a bag! We had several major weak spots, especially if you’re taking bags to areas where heat is a major factor, or the bag is often the only one in the household so gets used for more than just schooling and can end up being filled with heavy objects.
“We now have a design that is stronger, more durable and more ergonomic and, I can only imagine, one we’ll be using for years to come.”
Roger has since had the opportunity to visit the charity’s HQ in Somerset where he packed the first newly-designed SchoolBag and set up a new annual corporate patronage.
“We feel very honoured and would like thank Roger and his team for this opportunity and partnership with Quadra Bags, and it couldn’t have come at a more fitting time as we celebrate our 10th anniversary year of School in a Bag,” Luke added.
July is a busy month for the charity, with over 1,000 SchoolBags being packed after schools have been fundraising throughout the year. The new rucksack design has already being used, alongside new pencil cases which Quadra Bags is also supplying in the same colour and material to not only keep them uniform, but also to cut down on the plastics being used.
Roger McHugh (pictured), Managing Director of Quadra Bags, said: “We felt drawn to School in a Bag the moment we became aware of them and realised the value and importance of their amazing work.
“To have the opportunity to help with the design of the optimum SchoolBag was a privilege for our design team and we’re all proud of the finished product and what that will mean to the user.
“Completing our association with the charity by becoming corporate patrons of School in a Bag is an honour for Quadra Bags”
School in a Bag was set up in 2009 as an initiative of the Piers Simon Appeal, a charity set-up by Founder and CEO, Luke Simon, in memory of his older brother Piers, who lost his life in the Boxing Day tsunami in 2004.
To date, over 111,000 SchoolBags have been distributed to children in 44 countries around the world, giving them the necessary tools to be able to attend school and have a lifeline out of poverty and hardship.
If you would like to support School in a Bag through your school, business or as an individual, please contact Luke Simon by email: luke.simon@schoolinabag.org or telephone 01935 849160.
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