A school in Hornchurch has received more than £3,000 worth of computer equipment from one of its former students.

Taylor Nathaniel has spent £10,000 on equipment for his automotive industry recruitment company, a third of which he has donated to Sanders School as part of a charitable project designed to help provide 500 laptops to underprivileged youngsters.

The 29-year-old made the gesture as a way of thanking his old school for keeping him focused on education while he pursued ambitions of a professional football career.

Taylor admits the grounding he received at Sanders allowed him to go onto huge business success. His firm - CLM Search - has already turned over more than £1million in its first year.

He said: "My entire life all I ever dreamt about was being a professional footballer. It was my focus but the teachers at Sanders made sure I kept my feet on the ground and got an education as well.

“When it became apparent that my career was not going in the direction I hoped, it was hard to deal with but I picked myself up and got back out there. The lessons I learned at Sanders about working hard and becoming a hero in your own life really helped me to be resilient and focus on my new career.

“It has been in the news a lot about young people from underprivileged backgrounds not having access to computers and so therefore falling behind with their education. I really wanted to help and was in a position to do so. I then got in touch with the school and offered help.”

Taylor's gesture has been gratefully received by Sanders, with headteacher Stuart Brooks describing his success story as "heart-warming".

Mr Brooks said: "We are incredibly proud of Taylor and his achievements. His actions in thinking of his previous school and local certainly shows the hero he has truly become.

"The laptops and action will benefit and inspire our students to go on and be successful like Taylor. The success of a school is often measured by their exam results, for me the true testimony of its impact and success is a lifetime of success as we are seeing with Taylor.”