Forty community groups in Wales get online with BT

BT has announced that 40 community and voluntary groups in Wales have been awarded a laptop and a year’s broadband internet connection. Applications nearly doubled from last year for the popular BT Community Connections scheme. The awards will enable the successful community organisations to get online and experience the benefits of the internet, helping them develop their skills and encourage their members to support each other in their own digital journeys.

Geraint Strello, BT Regional Manager and chair of the Welsh judging panel said: "It is great to see such a range of applications from so many different community groups throughout the region. The awards will help these community groups take full advantage of the tremendous opportunities offered by the internet."

Organisations and services in Wales benefiting from this BT scheme include Blaenau Gwent People First, Colwyn Women’s Aid, Pembrokeshire Cancer Support and Penllwyn Community Partnership. If you feel your community organisation would benefit from a BT Community Connections award, you can simply log on to www.btcommunityconnections.com or write to PO Box 6919, London W1A 8UX to request an application form.

Competition for the awards is high and more than 2,300 different groups from around the country applied for an award in this round. The Welsh judging panel which assessed each group’s application was made up of professional people from Daily Post, One Voice Wales, UK Sustainable Development Commission and Western Mail. In particular, judges were keen to find out how the laptop and internet connectivity would benefit the group and how these benefits would be shared throughout the local community - for example, whether the laptop would allow access to training, job applications or even the ability to interact with similar groups in the community or across the globe.