New Aerozone and Academy launched at EMA

East Midlands Airport’s Aerozone and Academy are to officially open in new premises this week, heralding a new era of insight into the aviation industry for local students, adult learners and jobs seekers.

The Aerozone, the airport’s on-site education centre, provides an interactive and inspirational learning environment for children and young people aged 4 to 18 and is free of charge for school and college visits. The Academy offers free adult training including an ‘Introduction to the Aviation Industry’ course, and tailor-made pre-employment and upskilling training for around 200 unemployed or low-income adult learners a year and existing employees.

Previously the Aerozone and Academy were based in a building close to the airport’s main administrative offices but have now been relocated to new premises nearby which will officially open their doors on Friday 19 April.

The occasion will be marked with a special Aerozone visit by a group of 11-13-year-olds from Farnborough Academy in Clifton, along with a cohort of adult learners coming to the end of a two-week Exploring the Aviation Industry course. The aim of the school visit is for the students to learn about the variety of roles at the airport and to experience, through hands-on activities, what it’s like to work at an airport. The Academy course, now provided in partnership with Nottingham College, gives attendees a direct route for career or study progression within the aviation industry.

The students will be greeted by EMA’s Managing Director Steve Griffiths, along with Lilian Greenwood, MP for Clifton’s constituency, Nottingham South.

Steve Griffiths said: “We’re really pleased to open new premises for our Aerozone and Academy. It underlines our ongoing commitment to inspire generations of young people through a range of tailored interactive experiences and activities, along with free training courses to equip people with the skills needed to take up various careers available at EMA.”

 

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Annual passenger numbers across MAG airports increase by 13%

More than 61m passengers travelled through MAG airports in the 12 months to the end of March - up 13.4% year-on-year.

MAG – which owns and operates Manchester, London Stansted and East Midlands Airports – served 4.6m passengers in March, equal to 103% of 2019 levels, and up 12.4% on the same month last year.

London Stansted recorded its busiest 12 months ever, with 28.5m passengers travelling through the airport in the year to the end of March 2024 – up 11.8% on last year. Across what was also its busiest March on record, London Stansted served 2.2m passengers – up 10.8% on last year and equal to 104% of 2019 levels.

61.3m passengers travelled through a MAG airport in the 12 months to March

UK’s largest airports group welcomed 4.6m passenger in March

London Stansted had its busiest 12 months on record – with 28.5m passengers travelling through the airport

Manchester Airport also had a record month, serving 2.2m passengers in March – the sixth consecutive month it recorded its best-ever performance. The figure was 104% of 2019 levels, up 12.3% year-on-year.

East Midlands Airport had the highest year-on-year increases in the Group this month – reaching an annual total of 4.1m passengers for the first time since 2019 – up 22.4% on last year. Across March, the airport welcomed 240,000 passengers, up 30.7% on the same months last year, and equal to 94% of 2019 levels.

Operational performance across the Group remains consistently strong, and in March 100% of passengers at all three airports passed through security in 15 minutes or less.

Passenger numbers rise at East Midlands Airport

East Midlands Airport saw annual passenger numbers soar above the 4m mark for the first time since the pandemic – with nearly 750,000 more people choosing it than a year ago.

Figures released last week show 240,000 passengers travelled through East Midlands in March, which was up 22.4% on the same month last year.

That drove the airport’s rolling annual total to 4.077m – the first time since 2020 it crossed the 4m threshold.

The new figures are released as EMA’s summer season starts to get underway, which is shaping up to be among its best yet. The aircraft stands are set to be full this summer after Tui and Jet2 each added new aircraft based at EMA, along with some new routes on offer. These include Jet2 now flying to Naples in Italy and Eastern Airways partnering with Air France so that EMA customers can connect to flights all around the globe via Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport – a great new destination for the summer when Paris hosts the Olympic and Paralympic Games.

Not only that, but some fantastic improvements have already taken shape at the start of a five-year, £120m investment programme. These include a new-look Castle Rock Tap Room & Kitchen along with modernised toilet facilities, improved customer wi-fi throughout the terminal, better seating, a large new JD Sports unit and even a fleet of new trolleys. And upgrades to the runway and taxiways will help to literally make people’s journeys smoother.

East Midlands Airport welcomes new cargo carrier.

A new cargo airline has started operating from East Midlands Airport (EMA), the UK’s largest pure air freight hub.

British operator One Air runs flights between Europe and China/Hong Kong and has a permit to operate cargo charter flights between the US and UK. It launched last year and is growing its operations, looking to expand its flights to Hong Kong into a daily operation and achieve a licence for long-term operations to China.

One Air’s Boeing 747-400 aircraft has already been spotted in the skies above EMA since its first flight into East Midlands arrived from Hong Kong over Easter with a 105-tonne payload.  

The central UK airport will now be a regular origin and destination point for One Air’s services connecting Asia and Europe as well as for ad hoc global charter services. The new addition to EMA’s cargo operation bolsters what is already the UK’s most important express air freight hub.

EMA offers one-stop connections to 185 of the world’s largest cities, including New York, Singapore, Dubai, Hong Kong, Tokyo, Paris, and Mumbai, with DHL, UPS and Fedex all having their major UK hubs on site. 

The airport handles the equivalent of more than one million packages every night, and its cargo operation provides support to regional businesses, including those in the advanced manufacturing, aerospace, pharmaceuticals, and automotive sectors.

More buses heading to East Midlands Airport in time for peak summer season

Even more buses are now available as an alternative way to reach East Midlands Airport following timetable improvements by trentbarton and sister company Kinchbus.

skylink clifton 0579

An increasing number of customers travelling on Skylink Derby has prompted bus operator trentbarton to add extra trips throughout the day, with buses running up to every 15 minutes Monday to Saturday. There is also a significant increase in early morning journeys and later evening buses. Many of the changes are designed to improve the punctuality of services and respond to customer demand, and the timing of the new timetable coincides with the start of the airport’s summer season.

Skylink Derby connects Derby, Leicester and Loughborough with East Midlands Airport and the employment sites around it. As well as being a great option for local holidaymakers to travel to the airport, it is popular with shift workers at the many businesses based near EMA and its transport and logistics infrastructure.

Several changes to timetables were introduced over the Easter weekend to improve punctuality, including evening timetable changes on skylink Express between Nottingham and East Midlands Airport. The my15 service also has some small timetable changes, including reducing the number of journeys that go via Castle Donington Bus Station during peak times and minor changes between DHL and the airport Monday to Saturday.

World-first high-tech time-capsule lands at East Midlands Airport

High-tech time capsule arrives

Hundreds of children have submitted their predictions of the future to the UK’s children’s radio station, Fun Kids, to be locked into the time capsule to be discovered by future generations. 

Created by US design studio CW&T, the capsule is made from a decommissioned scuba tank with custom electronics. Once sealed, a countdown clock in the capsule’s lid displays how long remains before the time capsule unlocks itself. It’s the first-ever electronic time capsule and can seal its contents for up to 100 years.

The time capsule was delivered from Brooklyn NY to East Midlands Airport via DHL. It’s due to be displayed at We The Curious Science Centre in Bristol when it reopens later this year.

Lloydie James Lloyd, Content Controller at Fun Kids said: “We’ve had entries about everything from futures where homework tastes like strawberries to the invention of teleportation devices! It’s great that they’re going to be kept safe in a time-capsule that’s as high-tech as these predictions.”

Growing passenger numbers at East Midlands Airport

February saw almost 700,000 more customers choosing East Midlands Airport for trips abroad than last year, signalling one of the best Easter and summer seasons ahead for the popular travel hub.

Latest figures show that more than 3.8m people have travelled through EMA this financial year – a 22% increase on last year. The growing number of people picking EMA for an effortless start to their low-cost holidays increasingly includes travellers from further afield including South Yorkshire, West Midlands, Lincolnshire and Northamptonshire.

The new figures are released as the airport gears up for the Easter break from the end of this month, which will be immediately followed by the start of the summer season. The signs are good for this period to be the best since the pandemic, with bookings for the fortnight from Good Friday currently showing more than 188,000 passengers expected to fly through EMA.

Two of the main airlines serving EMA, Tui and Jet 2, are each adding an extra aircraft to those based at the airport, meaning the aircraft stands will be at capacity this summer. Tui has added a new route to Naples for this summer, while Eastern Airways will start flying to Charles de Gaulle Airport in Paris, offering EMA customers the chance to make onward journeys around the world with Air France.

And from Easter, passengers will also benefit from some of the first improvements that have been carried out as part of a £120m investment programme at EMA. This includes upgraded toilets, a refreshed Castle Rock bar, new seating, better customer wi-fi throughout the terminal and new trolleys.

East Midlands Airport upgrading taxiways and runway....

Most people visiting East Midlands Airport (EMA) won’t give a second thought to its runway and taxiways, but that doesn’t make them any less important for the smooth and safe running of operations.

  

That’s why EMA is carrying out upgrades to a section of its airfield that is the equivalent of 100 football pitches of tarmac, as part of its £120m investment programme over the next five years.

A dedicated team of airfield engineers, designers, project managers and contractors work tirelessly all year round to ensure these crucial surfaces are maintained to the highest standards. These projects are among the largest, most intensive and potentially disruptive works that airports undertake. They are meticulously planned to ensure little or no disruption to passengers and cargo operators at the airport, using short periods of closures for contractors to carry out the work.

The latest work in the improvement programme has been completed on a section used by cargo aircraft known as Taxiway Bravo, which was first laid using large concrete slabs 24 years ago. These have become due for replacement over time due to continuous use and exposure to the elements. Cargo operations at EMA have been growing, as has the size and weight of cargo planes, prompting the need to replace 400 tonnes of the concrete slabs with a more flexible asphalt surface.

East Midlands Airport proud to host MOD flights

East Midlands Airport (EMA) proudly hosted flights on behalf of the Ministry of Defence last week, taking troops to Germany and Poland for the start of NATO's Exercise Steadfast Defender.

The Airbus A330 aircraft may have been spotted on the runway and in the skies above EMA over the past week as it made nine trips across to Hannover in Germany and back, basing itself at EMA. A further seven trips across to Szczecin operated at the weekend.

Exercise Steadfast Defender is the largest NATO exercise in decades with over 90,000 military personnel taking part from 31 NATO countries and partner nations.

The first flight saw soldiers from the 7th Light Mechanised Brigade Combat Team Headquarters, who are based at Kendrew Barracks in Cottesmore, Rutland, fly out from the airport to Poland for the start of the exercise. The Rutland based troops are leading NATO’s Very High Readiness Joint Task Force (VJTF) Land Forces which is the highest-readiest element of NATO’s larger Response Force. The powerful and highly mobile VJTF can deploy within days anywhere in the world in support of NATO allies.

January passenger numbers up 30% for East Midlands Airport .....

The New Year really did get off to a flying start at East Midlands Airport (EMA), with more than 40,000 additional passengers choosing it compared to last January.

That’s an increase of almost 30% during what is traditionally a quieter time of the year, demonstrating a huge vote of confidence in EMA among its customers.

The 177,184 people who travelled through EMA during January boosted the overall total for the rolling 12 months to 3.9m, close to pre-pandemic levels.

The latest statistics are revealed as the airport gears up for the half-term break, when 105,000 passengers are booked to fly – a 16% increase on last year. This bodes well for EMA’s best summer yet as more people pick it as their airport of choice from a wider catchment.

As well as residents from the three counties surrounding the airport, people from areas including South Yorkshire, West Midlands, Lincolnshire and Northamptonshire are increasingly choosing EMA as their low-cost gateway to Europe and beyond. They are also attracted by the effortless experience of getting through security and into the shops, bars and restaurants of the departure lounge.

By the summer, passengers will also benefit from some of the first improvements that have been carried out as part of a £120m investment programme at EMA. This includes upgraded toilets, a refreshed Castle Rock bar, new seating, better customer wi-fi throughout the terminal and new trolleys.

And two of the main airlines serving EMA, Tui and Jet 2, are each adding an extra aircraft to those that are based at the airport, meaning the aircraft stands will be at capacity this summer.

EMA’s Managing Director Steve Griffiths said: “The number of people choosing us compared to January last year is really encouraging. We’re pleased that increasing numbers of people are flying through East Midlands Airport for their European holidays, and these figures give us confidence for a strong performance this half term holiday and an even stronger summer.

“We know that more people from further afield are willing to make longer journeys to EMA, in the knowledge that their experience here won’t be stressful, as it can be at other airports. The vast majority of our customers clear security in under 15 minutes so they can start to relax and get into holiday mode sooner. Extra aircraft bringing our stands to capacity also shows airlines’ confidence in EMA and bodes well for the future.”

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East Midlands Airport has announced a £120 million investment programme

East Midlands Airport has announced an investment programme of more than £120m to improve all aspects of the passenger experience over the next five years.

Following an intensive period of planning and design, work is getting underway on the transformation to refresh the airport infrastructure, maintain safety and regulatory standards and help it operate more efficiently - making travel through the airport even more effortless than it already is for its more than 4m annual passengers.

Areas which will see improvements include:

·       Expanding the security hall to facilitate installing next-generation scanning equipment

·       Improvements to toilet facilities, customer seating and a programme of roof renewals

·       Improvements to heating and cooling in the terminal

·       Proposals to improve Rapid Drop-Off arrangements

·       Upgrades to air traffic control systems

·       Reconstruction of taxiways.

Works have started on the extension of the security hall, following planning approval from North West Leicestershire District Council. Internal improvements will include enhancements to the entrance portal to improve access into the main security area, as well as enhancements to the facility to improve its look and feel.

This will mean that next-generation body and baggage scanning technology can be installed to allow passengers to pass through security checks without the need to separate electronic devices from baggage. This will improve EMA’s already excellent timings for clearing security which is typically under 15 minutes. This security changes are part of new Government rules, which will also see the removal of the 100ml liquid restrictions.

Also underway are improvements to the main customer toilets in the Departure Lounge, next to the Castle Rock bar. This will involve replacing and upgrading the facilities to a modern standard with new fixtures and fittings. It will complement an extensive refurbishment of the bar area that Castle Rock is carrying out. Further upgrades to customer toilets will follow. It’s hoped that later phases of the investment programme will see the new look and feel in the security hall carried through into the Departure Lounge, where new and additional customer seating will be installed.

As part of the investment programme, EMA is also exploring a range of options for improving the Rapid Drop-Off area which will help to improve the flow of vehicles through the site, which could include installing cashless and barrierless operating systems.

In addition, work has begun to upgrade the terminal roof which due to the age of the building is in need of remedial work. The first phase will focus on the roof above the Departure Lounge area which during heavy rainfall can suffer from leaks.

Reconstruction and resurfacing of the taxiways will also be carried out. The size and number of aircraft using EMA has increased and this drives the need to invest in renewing and reconstructing some of the most heavily trafficked areas to better accommodate modern aircraft. This work will be carried out through carefully managed programmes of closures including overnight and at weekends and in consultation with airlines so disruption is minimised.

Christmas all wrapped up, up and away at East Midlands Airport

East Midlands Airport (EMA) is preparing for a busy end to the year, with more than 100,000 passengers set to fly through its terminal in the last two weeks of the year.

More than 5,000 people will travel through on Friday 22 December alone, which is set to be its busiest day of the festive period.

The bumper Christmas travel season comes on the back of a strong November, with fresh figures revealing 188,556 passengers passed through EMA during the month – up by 29% on last year.

That brings the airport’s annual total to 3.2m, with it on course to break through the 4m mark by the end of March.

EMA’s Customer and Planning Director Mike Grimes said: “We’re delighted to welcome thousands of customers to the airport during the festive period – it’s a really special time of the year for people to get away. Our staff love to make the whole experience convenient and hassle-free.

“A strong performance this winter on top of a busy summer is expected to boost overall passenger numbers to above 4m by the end of the financial year, taking us to pre-Covid levels and giving us the promise of 2024 being a very Happy New Year. We also have a programme of improvements getting underway which will make the experience of flying from EMA even more comfortable and effortless.”

·       Passengers are attracted to EMA by its effortless travel experience and frequent low-cost flights to destinations at this time of year offering Christmas Markets, Alpine skiing or winter sun

·       On Friday 22nd December alone, 5,068 are expected to travel to a range of European destinations

·       Overall, the airport’s passenger numbers are up by almost 567,000 compared to November last year, showing an ongoing post-pandemic confidence among holidaymakers.

New year, new career? It could take off at East Midlands Airport

Anyone looking for a new career to take off in the New Year should put Wednesday 17 January in their diary to attend a Jobs Fair at East Midlands Airport (EMA).

The event will take place in the check-in hall from 10am to 2pm and representatives from a wide range of businesses operating on the site will be available to speak to. These include Manchester Airports Group (MAG) which owns and runs the airport itself, as well as major cargo operator DHL, baggage handling firm Swissport, food service company HMS Host, one of EMA’s main airlines Jet2 and World Duty Free.

The Jobs Fair will provide a great opportunity for jobseekers to engage directly with employers and find out what they are looking for from applicants to boost their chances of securing employment at the airport. Free parking and a free shuttle bus to the venue will be provided.

MAG’s Group Head of Education, Skills & Employment, Marcella M’Rabety, said: “Whether you want to land a career at East Midlands Airport or are already working in the industry and looking for a change, our Jobs Fair is the perfect event for you!

UK’s largest airports group records positive half year results

A successful summer season delivered a positive first-half performance for MAG, leaving it in a strong position to continue its investment in its airports to improve customer service and support sustainable growth.

MAG (Manchester Airports Group), which owns and operates Manchester, London Stansted and East Midlands Airports, today published its interim results for the period 1 April – 30 September 2023, during which it generated record half-year revenues of £705.6m (FY23: £565.2m).

Its airports collectively handled 34.9m passengers during the period, up 4.4m on the prior year. That represented just under 96% of pre-pandemic levels. In July, London Stansted became the first major airport to exceed pre-Covid volumes when compared to the same month in 2019, with Manchester marking that milestone in October, when East Midlands reached the 98% mark.

Manchester Airport welcomed 16.4m passengers between April and September, with 15.8m passing through London Stansted and 2.7m through East Midlands.

 Not only did all MAG airports increase passenger volumes between April-September, they delivered consistently good service levels, with the vast majority of passengers passing through security in 15 minutes of less throughout the summer (Manchester – 96%, London Stansted – 98%, East Midlands – 100%). In July, all three received the highest possible rating from the Civil Aviation Authority for the service they provide to passengers with assisted travel needs.

The sky’s no limit for learners at new EMA Academy launched with Nottingham College

Hundreds of jobseekers will be given the chance to pursue high-flying careers through a specialist Academy being created by East Midlands Airport and Nottingham College.

Nottm College Partnership - 1

The Academy will offer tailor-made pre-employment and upskilling training to around 200 adult learners a year.

The free two-week courses will equip them with the skills they need to take up jobs ranging from ground crew, baggage handling, security, customer service, or roles within hotels, car parks or logistics.

The development of the fully-accredited training forms part of EMA's five-year Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) strategy ‘Working Together for a Brighter Future,’ with the latest progress update for 2022/23 published today.

The report shows how EMA is progressing on a number of CSR commitments, including increasing its use of energy from renewable sources, granting funds for local community projects, continuing to take action to reduce noise impacts, improving service for customers with reduced mobility and increasing the number of passengers reaching the airport by sustainable transport. EMA’s parent company Manchester Airports Group also released its group-wide CSR Report today, which set out progress made against five Jet Zero Pledges.

The innovative new training partnership with Nottingham College will provide local people with the skills they need to access the varying careers available within the aviation, tourism and logistics industries. In time further opportunities for training will be opened up, helping to ensure that local people and existing staff can easily access the full range of jobs and careers on offer at EMA.

‘Outstanding’ security training gives East Midlands Airport customers peace of mind

The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) has once again given East Midlands Airport (EMA) top marks for the training it provides for security staff.

The ranking of ‘outstanding’ gives customers the assurance that they can travel through the airport safe in the knowledge that security teams are highly trained and they will receive excellent customer service. 

People using EMA to travel to Europe this year have on average passed through security in under 15 minutes.

The CAA’s quality assurance scheme ensures that the training of airport security staff meets the expected standards to keep people safe when flying from UK airports, with EMA last assessed as outstanding two years ago.

Airport security staff are required to be trained in several disciplines including body-searches, identifying ‘threatening’ objects, x-ray, baggage screening and patrols. Also included is a module on modern slavery so staff are well-equipped to look out for behaviours which may indicate people smuggling.

EMA has a dedicated in-house training team who carry out refresher training sessions for existing staff, as well as training for new recruits as the airport gears up for the seasonal increase in passenger numbers. January will see a new drive for more security staff, who will need to be qualified ready for April when the peak season begins.

Eliza Eabry, EMA’s Security Training Manager, welcomed the recent assessment. She said: “Safety and security is our number one priority so it’s vital we get this part of the airport operation right.

“Another ‘outstanding’ assessment of our security training from the Civil Aviation Authority is a fantastic endorsement of our efforts. This gives peace of mind to our customers and is at the heart of the hassle-free experience they have come to expect from East Midlands Airport.”

East Midlands Airport ready to play key part in region’s hydrogen future

East Midlands Airport (EMA) will form part of the UK's largest inland hydrogen cluster, which will lead to the creation of 110,00 jobs and pave the way for carbon-free flying from the Midlands gateway.

East Midlands Hydrogen - a partnership between D2N2 Local Enterprise Partnership, Leicester and Leicestershire Enterprise Partnership, Cadent, Uniper, Toyota, Midlands Engine and East Midlands Freeport - is to be launched tomorrow (Friday 22 September.) It is set to connect supply and demand through a new 100% hydrogen pipeline, bringing massive economic and environmental benefits to the region.

A PwC report set for publication next month estimates that development of a full hydrogen supply chain in the East Midlands would contribute £10 billion GVA and 110,000 jobs created or retained by 2050. It’s estimated that carbon savings from the cluster of 70 industrial sites across Nottinghamshire, Derbyshire and Leicestershire could be as much as 1.9 million tonnes per year, the equivalent of gas-related carbon emissions from 860,000 homes.

More than 530,000 people used East Midlands Airport in August

The popularity of East Midlands Airport (EMA) as a gateway from the Midlands to European destinations is growing, with over 530,000 holidaymakers choosing it to get away this August.

That’s up by more than 100,000 passengers last August. Overall this year, 2.2m passengers have so far travelled through EMA – an increase of more than 370,000 passengers over the same period last year.

All passengers using EMA even in peak times during the summer continued to clear security in under 15 minutes this year – with the August average queue time half that, at just seven minutes 40 seconds.

It’s the ease of getting to and through EMA that passengers say is one of the key reasons they choose the airport, often willing to travel further so they can enjoy a hassle-free start to their holidays.

The number of people looking for autumn and winter breaks is also growing. EMA is projecting to welcome a further 620,000 passengers between September and December this year.

There’s a range of destination options, with airlines offering some great bargains for flying via EMA. This includes flights in October to Dublin from £30, Carcassonne from £37, and to Milan and Wroclaw from £40.

Mike Grimes, Customer & Planning Director at EMA, says: “We’ve had another great summer, with growing numbers of people choosing EMA for our fast and friendly service that gets their holiday underway as soon as possible. We’re now looking forward to a similarly busy autumn and winter period, with plenty of ways to bag a bargain.”

Busiest day for East Midlands Airport since summer 2019

East Midlands Airport (EMA) has experienced its busiest day of the summer for passenger travel today - Friday 4 August.

Approximately 19,000 people travelled through the airport on Friday 4 August. This is the largest number of people the airport has welcomed through its doors on a single day since the summer of 2019, the last full summer season before the Covid pandemic hit. In the coming weeks, before schools return in September, passenger numbers are expected to rise to 95% of pre-Covid levels.

August will be the busiest month of the year, with 533,547 passengers expected. This is an increase of more than 38,000 passengers compared to July. During the entire ‘summer season’ (from April to the end of October), 3.17 million passengers will use the airport.

Mainland Spain, the Canary Islands and the Balearics continue to be the most popular destinations for EMA passengers. This is reflected in the top 10 destinations passengers who choose East Midlands Airport are flying to this summer, which are:

Alicante (Spain)

Tenerife

Palma de Mallorca

Malaga

Faro (Portugal)

Arrecife (Lanzarote)

Dublin

Barcelona

Fuerteventura

Las Palmas (Gran Canaria)

Mike Grimes, Customer Services & Planning Director, said: “We’re delighted to be in the full swing of the summer season and welcoming almost as many passengers as we had pre-pandemic. This is a boost to the aviation sector as it continues its post-pandemic recovery. I’m pleased with how well our operation is performing with all our passengers currently clearing security in well under 15 minutes. We look forward to welcoming many more people through this airport in the coming weeks as people embark on their summer holidays.”

Books and laptops donated by Long Eaton school flown to Ghana thanks to East Midlands Airport and DHL Express

A primary school in Bunkpurugu, Ghana, will receive a donation of books and laptops thanks to a joint initiative between East Midlands Airport and a Long Eaton based primary school.

A primary school in Bunkpurugu, Ghana, has received a donation of books and laptops thanks to a joint initiative between East Midlands Airport and a Long Eaton based primary school.

In 2015, English Martyrs’ School in Long Eaton launched a ‘Building Hope’ fundraising appeal to provide the Lady of Hope school in Bunkpurugu, Ghana, with new facilities. The school’s buildings were some of the worst in the country. By 2018, £13,415.00 had been raised and construction of new buildings started that year.

The Lady of Hope school now has some of the most modern facilities in Ghana. English Martyrs’ support continues, and, last week, the school sent more than 200 books and eight brand new laptops to Ghana.

But a stumbling block was getting the shipment to Ghana. However, thanks to the school’s relationship with East Midlands Airport (English Martyrs’ is a recent recipient of eco-garden funding), contact was made with DHL Express who came to the rescue and collected the shipment from Long Eaton and flew it to Ghana.

Mrs Jo Pettifer (Assistant Head – English Martyrs’), said: “We couldn’t be more grateful to the airport and cargo partner DHL Express for their help with our shipment. This means so much to the children here who are passionate about supporting this cause. Our books are surplus to requirement due to changes to the curriculum and what better way to recycle them than to send them to our friends in Bunkpurugu.”