Cyber Reading Room start-up grants

Generous startup support was received from the Parish Council, and from NIACE via North Somerset Council,

Gifts in kind are gratefully acknowledged from:

WPP Accountants - donations of PCs
Akerlund & Rausing - donations of PCs
GAB Robins (Bristol) - donations of office furniture
Chris Brown - donation of printer
Ian Parsons - donation of server and other equipment
Ann Dale - donation of office furniture
Cmdr Michael Lawder - donation of office furniture

We were delighted to be awarded in February £1,000 towards our revenue start-up costs from the Community Action Regeneration Project, in association with CRISP (Community Regeneration in the South-West Partnership).

Community Action are based in Long Ashton, and also give invaluable advice to projects like ours with the multifarious tasks which have to be done to set up a viable scheme.

This will give us the necessary 'breathing-time' to continue with urgently needed technical work, and work applying for further funding.

Also in February, we were awarded an internet-ready computer plus a cheque for £119.88 towards a year's 'phone charges, from BT Community Connections - a competitive scheme to support community initiatives with computer equipment.

In October, 2001, we received an award of £4,995 from the Awards for All New Opportunities Fund, which gave an enormous boost to our programme of upgrading equipment and buying more educational software.

In October, 2002, a further impetus to our upgrading programme was given by a grant of £500 from the SouthWest Foundation, followed in November by a similar amount from the North Somerset Fund.

Origin of the Wrington Cyber Room

At their meeting on Monday, 11th December, 2000, Wrington Parish Council formally approved the setting up of a facility in the John Locke Room to provide residents of the parish with the opportunity to learn the new skills of the 'cyber age' - including sending and receiving e-mails and access to the Internet.

This is a logical development given the success over the past year of this website, which has provided an additional means of communication for residents both locally, and around the world.

For example, photographs of such events as the Millennium Photo exhibition, the village fete, the Nativity play - not to mention weddings - have been accessed by friends and family in Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, Canada, China, to name but a few, within hours of the events taking place.

The room is already beginning to be equipped with a range of computer equipment. Increasingly, people are acquiring their own, but many have said they'd welcome advice on how to get the most out of it - and to be able to do this within the village.

Others would like to take more formal courses, and for those without their own equipment, the Cyber Room (CRR) will eventually provide a 'drop-in' service.

Cost
The intention is to keep costs down to a minimum so nobody should find it too expensive to use. That's why the Parish Council have provided the core funding, and bids are being made to other funding sources.

Users will be asked to pay per session enough to cover running costs such as rent, electricity, telephone charges.

The basic equipment was generously donated by firms with which local residents are connected - David Barker, Neal Crowe, and Ian Parsons, for example.

Staffing
A number of people came forward and volunteered their services as tutors, and this was a vital starting point. More offers will always be welcome.