Breadcrumbs
Rural Online Centres - Do they make the grade? - 15 December 2003
Improving access to UK online centres¹ is giving more people in rural areas the chance to develop their IT skills, obtain useful information and take advantage of further education and training, opportunities many rural people lack, according to a new report Connecting the Countryside – an evaluation of Capital Modernisation Funded* UK online centres in rural areas by the Countryside Agency and the Department for Education and Skills.
Launching the report, published today (15 December), Countryside Agency chairman, Ewen Cameron said: “We have seen the positive impact these centres can have. They are reaching the most socially excluded groups in rural communities by using local centres such as village halls, pubs and even churches. Schemes like the Methodist Church in Hungerford and Ottery St Mary’s ‘Project Cosmic’, a mobile unit reaching much of rural Devon and Somerset, are really helping local people. However, despite the positive impact of such online centres, there are still hurdles to be overcome. The future sustainability of many rural ICT centres is uncertain because of high delivery costs, the difficulties of reaching small and scattered populations and poor broadband availability.”
Education Secretary Charles Clarke said: "ICT is an increasingly important way of accessing services, information and e-learning in the 21st Century. The rural evaluation study has shown that UK online centres are successfully helping people in deprived rural areas develop their IT skills, and enabling everyone who wants it to have access to the Internet."
The Connecting the Countryside report evaluates UK online centres in rural areas of England, with examples of good practice, to encourage more areas to think about the needs of their local communities and the information available.
Facts and figures from the report include:
- A total of 598 rural UK online centres have been supported by CMF funding. Just under a quarter of a million people used rural centres in their first year of opening.
- 76% of the Capital Modernisation Funded² ( CMF) centres do not have access to broadband, restricting people and rural businesses.
- 62% of those using rural UK online centres do so to become more involved in their community.
- Outreach services and tailored courses help to reach the most socially excluded groups within rural communities. 6% of rural centers are mobile facilities, 41% provide an outreach service and 68% offer tailored courses.
Case studies include:
Hungerford Cyber Café, Hungerford, Berkshire: a popular and well-used drop-in service, the Methodist Church meets a need for affordable access to the Internet and email. The CMF paid for new ICT equipment, including laptops, printers and special needs equipment. Volunteers undertake all administrative tasks and for those wanting to further their ICT training, the café acts as an access point for learndirect and has an informal working relationship with Newbury College.
Project Cosmic, Ottery St Mary, Devon: serves a rural catchment of small villages through its mobile unit, the ‘ORBIT space shuttle’, covering much of Devon and Somerset. The centre has a fleet of Land Rovers, enabling trainers to take laptops out to more isolated communities and deliver courses in village halls. Older people have shown a particular enthusiasm for the services and facilities offered and the centre has built on its work with Age Concern.
Alwalton Post Office, Cambridgeshire: used mostly by older people who wish to become familiar with ICT and develop their basic skills; single mothers and those returning to work who need training to gain employment; and drop-in users wishing to utilise the high-speed broadband connection available via the Cambridge Community Network. Alwalton is one of 10 access points located in pubs and post offices providing free training and ICT services.
¹UK online centres provide access to ICT to help users improve and develop IT skills and to give them access to the internet. They are situated in local centres – pubs, village halls, libraries – which are accessible to the locals they serve. They provide outreach services and tailor courses and learning opportunities to reach the most socially excluded groups of rural communities.
²The Capital Modernisation Fund was set up in the 1999 Comprehensive Spending Review to support capital investment to improve public services. This has provided £199 million to fund over 2,800 UK online centres in England.
Copies of the report, published by the Countryside Agency and the Department for Education and Skills, Connecting the Countryside – an evaluation of Capital Modernisation Funded UK online centres in rural areas (CA 157) can be found at www.countryside.gov.uk or can be purchased from Countryside Agency Publications, PO Box 125, Wetherby, West Yorkshire LS23 7EP, Tel 0870 120 6466.
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Notes to editors:
The Countryside Agency is the statutory body working to make the quality of life better for people in the countryside and the quality of the countryside better for everyone www.countryside.gov.uk/
The Department for Education and Skills aims to help build a competitive economy and inclusive society by creating opportunities, realising potential and achieving excellence www.dfes.gov.uk
