with David Higgs
Schools from across the UK will soon be able to get their hands on millions of pounds by tapping into the lucrative internet shopping market thanks to an ingenious idea dreamt up by a couple who live near Bromyard.
Julian and Monique Hanford, a husband and wife team from Whitbourne, aim to help schools raise much-needed funds through their website PTA Planet.com.
The site, which goes live this week, is a richly-stocked online marketplace that displays the latest products, in categories, from books to bikes, uniforms to holidays, lunchbags to computers.
By linking their site with a huge range of retailers such as Next, Marks & Spencer, Waterstones, Halfords, PC World, Amazon, and Woolworths, staff, parents and pupils can generate cash for their school simply by making an online purchase.
Parent-Teacher Associations in the UK raise £125 million every year which pay for playground and sports equipment, computer and IT teaching aids, and school trips.
But the increasingly busy schedules of most parents means that finding the time necessary to attend or organise such events is becoming increasingly difficult – something which spurred the couple into action.
“As parents ourselves, my wife Monique and I had been thinking about how hard PTAs have to work every year to generate extra cash for their schools,” said co-founder Julian Hanford. “We come from marketing and entrepreneurial backgrounds, so decided to do something positive about it and create a business that has a really beneficial impact on the community.”
Schools and PTAs can sign up to the scheme free of charge and parents are encouraged to do their usual online shopping through the website which will then generates a commission payment for the school.
Schools will then receive their share of the commission fund once every half-term.
Julian added: “Thousands of primary schools and parents in the UK struggle to supplement their strained education budgets every year by organising school fetes, cake sales, concerts and social events. PTA Planet will create a significant boost to these schools’ funds, while also creating a powerful community whose connections and experience can really benefit each other.”
PTAs and Primary Schools can sign up now for the scheme via www.ptaplanet.com
