ruralnet|uk news

Capacitybuilders Grant to Help Rural Communities

It’s a great start to the year for Rural Regeneration Charity, ruralnet|uk who have secured £96,000 grant funding from Government body, ‘Capacitybuilders'.

The funding will be used to provide isolated rural communities with the expertise and support to use ICT to build capacity and overcome isolation.

In partnership with the ‘Teesdale Village Hall Consortium’, the programme will initially benefit 33 community groups. It will then be promoted on a national basis through further partnerships.

ruralnet|uk promotes Good Governance to Rural Voluntary Organisations

ruralnet|uk has joined forces with the Governance Hub to provide support for Trustees and Chief Executives of rural voluntary and community organisations.

Through a Code of Good Governance, the hub has set out a number of main principles of best practice.  As good governance plays a huge role in how voluntary and community organisations are held accountable, the principles of this code will inform and guide the decision making process of trustees and the work of the board.

ruralnet|uk’s Chief Executive blogs his way from John o’ Groats to Land’s End to prime participation fund

ruralnet|uk’s Chief Executive, Simon Berry, free-wheeled down the hill to John o’ Groats at around 3pm on 7 June with a huge sense of relief and respect for those who had done the Land’s End to John o’ Groats trip before him.

Simon undertook the 10-day challenge, covering 1,069 miles, to launch ruralnet|uk’s Participation Fund which will be used to enable rural volunteers working for their community to access ruralnet|uk’s online services and attend the annual conference.

Top Marks for net:gain Pathfinder Workshops

First pathfinder workshop sessions hit the spot for delegates on the net:gain programme.

net:gain is an innovative programme, designed to bring about a step-change in the ICT (Information and Communication Technology) capability of the voluntary and community sector (VCS). It helps CEOs and decision-makers to take a practical, appropriate and informed approach to ICT strategic planning and support.

The first phase of net:gain was a series of pathfinder workshops designed to test the delivery and content of the programme. An evaluation of feedback shows that delegates awarded more than 4 out of 5 across every category. These included: meeting their expectations of the programme, their response to materials, the trainers’ knowledge and style, and the net:gain centres facilities and booking processes.

Centres across England Awarded with net:gain Funding

Second stage funding to deliver the net:gain programme has been announced today to 14 UK online centres across England.

Adding to the 16 centres already awarded funds during stage 1 selection proceeding, a total of 30 centres spread across all 9 Government Office regions of England will receive support to deliver net:gain.

Newly onboard are centres from the North-West, East of England and Yorkshire and Humberside.

This support initiative will enable these centres to help local Voluntary and Community Organisations to develop and implement strategic plans for ICT effectively through a simple, hands-on approach. 

net:gain First Stage Funding Winners announced

From rural Teesdale in the North East to Newport on the Isle of Wight, 16 UK Online centres across England have been selected as the very first to receive funding under the net:gain programme.  This innovative support initiative will enable these centres to help local Voluntary and Community Organisations (VCOs) put a firm foot forward with their future ICT planning and developments. Whilst the programme is funded overall by the Home Office’s ChangeUp programme, the development grants are from Ufi, a net:gain partner. A full list of winners is at www.net-gain.org.uk.

Lloyds TSB Foundation complements Baring Funding for ICT Collaboration Project

Rural development charity, ruralnet|uk’s ICT Collaboration Project has received a boost with a grant of £19,500 from the Lloyds TSB Foundation for England and Wales.  This complements earlier funding secured for the project from the Baring Foundation, enabling further research into collaboration in the Voluntary and Community Sector (VCS).

The funding comes from the Lloyds TSB Foundation’s Collaborative Programme which supports joint working in the sector, encouraging a partnership approach.

net:gain development grants announced

   The net:gain programme has now started the first round of funding for UK online centres. For those centres keen to participate, they can apply for a grant to help them meet development costs.  This will then aid and prepare them for delivery of the net:gain service to Voluntary and Community Organisations (VCOs).

The Home Office awarded £1.2 million to net:gain under its ChangeUp proposals to help the Voluntary and Community sector gain a better understanding of ICT strategic planning.  A further £250,000 has now been set aside for a programme of net:gain start-up grants.  UK online centres can apply to the fund for between £6,000 and £9,000 to support their development activities.

ruralnet|uk to support Futurebuilders initiative

ruralnet|uk is delighted to confirm today its involvement as a support organisation of the Futurebuilders initiative. Futurebuilders is a new £125 million Government investment fund which aims to improve public service delivery throughout the voluntary and community sector in England by means of a mixture of grants, loans and capacity building; i.e. support, training and advice.

UK online centres to develop key role in supporting voluntary sector ICT

The Net:Gain consortium, representing around 1500 community-based UK online and learndirect centres has been awarded £60,000 by the Home Office to develop a package of ICT support for voluntary and community organisations (VCOs) across England.