Sanderson's Wynd, St Martin's and Windygoul primary schools boosted by Charles River

Charles River provides research services for drug discovery globally, with one of its facilities just outside Tranent, between the town and Elphinstone.

A spokesperson for Charles River said: “As Covid-19 continues to impact the community, Charles River is committed to supporting local organisations, including one of the groups facing considerable operational challenges: schools.

“While schools are one of the many groups facing unique obstacles, the education and wellbeing of students remains the top priority.”

As a result, and to “help local schools continue their mission and ensure children’s education is not compromised”, it has donated £20,000 each to three Tranent schools – Windygoul Primary School, St Martin’s Primary School and Sanderson’s Wynd Primary School.

Sandersons Wynd Primary School

The schools were chosen due to their proximity to the East Lothian Charles River site.

The spokesperson added: “It is very important to us that we support our local communities as part of our corporate citizenship strategy.

“Young people could potentially be the scientists of tomorrow and anything we can do to support the development of STEM activities in schools is very important to us.

“It is also our understanding that primary schools don’t receive as much Government funding as secondary schools for STEM-related activities and so they would particularly benefit from this generous donation.”

The company was prompted to donate the money by the pandemic.

St Martin's Primary School

It said that “extraordinary times call for an extraordinary response”, with community organisations, charities and schools all impacted and barriers created in access to the services and funding to address these challenges.

To support communities in the wake of the pandemic, the company has donated $2million to more than 300 organisations in 17 countries, helping to tackle issues such as food insecurity, equality, first responders, homeless shelters and youth services.

Windygoul Primary School

In a joint statement, the three schools said: “We strive to help students develop and thrive in the community now and into the future.

“This mission would not be attainable without the partnerships we create with the community.

“Through the generous support of Charles River, we are able to build new, innovative and engaging learning and teaching opportunities within literacy, numeracy, science and technology to further promote local education.”