Work of Carmarthenshire digital project is celebrated

A project that has helped more than 4,000 Carmarthenshire people get to grips with computer technology is celebrating its successes over the last five years.
An event was held at the Mountain Gate on Ammanford Road, Ammanford to look at the achievements of Communities 2.0 and what the future holds when the project finishes in March.
Communities 2.0 is a Welsh Government programme which is delivered by four partner organisations – the Wales Co-operative Centre, Pembrokeshire Association of Voluntary Services, Carmarthenshire County Council and the George Ewart Evans Centre for Storytelling at the University of South Wales.
Much of the funding for Communities 2.0 has come from the European Regional Development Fund.
The programme initially worked in the Convergence area of Wales, breaking down barriers to engagement with technologies. Now it supports initiatives and projects across Wales. Communities 2.0 also supports new and existing enterprises to use ICT to improve performance, through training, mentoring, technical support, ICT related business support, research and best practice.
Communities 2.0 E-Government Inclusion Officer Geraint Nutt said: “Since 2009, the Carmarthenshire Communities 2.0 team have been working to tackle the issue of digital exclusion across Carmarthenshire.
“Over the lifetime of the programme, over 4,200 individuals have benefited from the training. These courses have included laptop, first click and ipad courses. Over the last year the demand for our courses has increased dramatically and we are currently training 40 individuals every month.”
In June 2011 funding was secured as part of the Communities 2.0 project to set up a pilot Digital Champion Volunteer Project, managed by the Carmarthenshire Communities 2.0 Team. The recruitment of volunteers enabled the team to increase its delivery of IT Basic courses within the community.
From the first year’s pilot, the Digital Champion Volunteer Project has gone from strength to strength.
The project has recruited 36 volunteers to date and 23 of those volunteers have delivered a substantial number of individual sessions.
So far some 500 courses have been delivered by the volunteers in various areas and locations including Llanelli, Carmarthen, Ammanford, Newcastle Emlyn and Llandovery. The significant contribution made by the volunteers has meant that the programme targets for Carmarthenshire have been reached and exceeded.
The Communities 2.0 Project in Carmarthenshire is due to finish in March 2015, meaning the Volunteer Project as it is managed now will also, come to an end.
Mr Nutt added: “We are working with our partners to try and explore some sustainable future provision for the volunteer programme, but feel that whatever the future holds for them as a group and individually it is right that we should demonstrate our appreciation of the help they’ve given us. We could not have achieved the level of delivery in Carmarthenshire without their assistance.”
Council Leader Cllr Kevin Madge, who spoke at the event, said: “It is vitally important that we enable as many people as possible to use computers and the Internet.
It is especially valuable for elderly people and others to keep in touch with family and friends and to access services.
“It is marvellous that so many people have been helped over the five years of the project and I’m sure we will find the right way for the volunteers to be able to continue to contribute in the future.”