Press release -
Cwmbran Animal Sanctuary wins Welsh Government backing for ICT improvements
The trading arm of a South East Wales animal sanctuary has received backing from Communities 2.0, the Welsh Governments digital inclusion programme. The support will help All Creatures Great and Small Developments to improve their office technology in line with a number of new developments at the sanctuary.
The sanctuary, which has been in existence since 1992, operates a programme of rehabilitation and re-homing of injured, abused and unwanted animals. The Sanctuary is currently funded by public donations and receives no government funding. In addition to the donations, the charity is also supported by two small shops located in Cwmbran and Risca which is run entirely by volunteers.
All Creatures Great and Small have recently completed the refurbishment of a number of buildings on their site, allowing them additional space to offer educational facilities, fund raising events and community activities.
Communities 2.0 staff analysed the organisations ICT needs and worked with the sanctuary to develop a strategy for utilising ICT effectively on site. This has been supported by upgraded office and training hardware. Communities 2.0 is a Welsh Government programme, part funded by the European Regional Development Fund.
Kate Carlyle, one of the trustees of All Creatures Great and Small, commented,
“We are delighted that our application has been successful. We have been really impressed at the depth of knowledge, expertise and professionalism of Communities 2.0 officers and we believe that the support offered to us through the programme will make a considerable difference to our long term sustainability. The extremely thorough ICT review and helpful guidance we have received from the team will allow us to utilise the technology effectively to concentrate on the important business of raising awareness of the sanctuary and its work, which in turn should assist in raising funds to cover the costs of looking after the animals and finding new homes for them when possible”.
Communities 2.0 project director Cathryn Marcus commented:
“Communities 2.0 is delighted to be able to add its support to this timely investment in All Creatures Great and Small Animal Sanctuary. The charity offers an important service in South East Wales and this investment will help the organisation to deliver its services more efficiently and effectively”.
Topics
- Economy, Finance
Categories
- cwmbran
- welsh government
- digital inclusion
- communities 2.0
Regions
- Wales
Communities 2.0
Communities 2.0 is a Welsh Government programme and is part of the Delivering a Digital Wales strategy. Communities 2.0 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 (University of South Wales).
Communities 2.0 is a £21.9 million programme, made up of £10.45m Convergence funding via ERDF, match funding of £6.45m from the Digital Inclusion BEL and £5 million Targeted Match Fund money also. It runs from April 2009 to March 2015 and now covers the whole of Wales.
It prioritises support to the most digitally excluded groups in society by helping them overcome barriers, building their confidence and creating opportunities for them to use new skills.
The programme also helps support social enterprises and community and voluntary organisations to improve their operations and competitiveness through ICT.
