Riverside has supported the Wor Hoose Community Project in Walker by funding computer equipment worth over £800.

The Wor Hoose project supports people who live in Walker, Newcastle upon Tyne and was set up by residents in 2001 to help local people overcome social exclusion and improve their lives.

The funding from Riverside will enable the project to run a Digital Inclusion Project which will provide both short taster drop in sessions to encourage participation, and then run weekly ICT training support sessions, targeting long term unemployed people to learn new skills.

The project also aims to improve the educational attainment of unemployed people and provide increased access to online services in an area of multiple deprivation, such as CV support, Warm Zone Winter Fuel grants, the Universal Job Match Scheme, benefit advice, budgeting and other support available at other community venues.

They will also create 12 digital champion volunteers to help their peers with learning new ICT skills, who will benefit from improved confidence and employability, as well as an after school group with access to PC’s and online learning resources.

Addtionally, Wor Hoose were approached by a local resident who had been informed by her energy provider that her monthly payments were due to increase from £80 a month to around £140. They were able to sit with her and compare tariffs online and ended up saving her £461 on her yearly bill.

Lee Bailey, Riverside’s community project team leader said “we are delighted to be able to support this local community project by providing the IT equipment needed to set up the Digital Inclusion Project and we hope that the newly qualified digital champion volunteers will be able to help their peers to learn new ICT skills”.

Steven Russell, Outreach Worker said “Wor Hoose would like thank Riverside for their generous support. Wor Hoose is a charitable organisation and learners are at the heart of all we do. The new computer equipment will allow us to expand our online facilities for local people to access, something we have struggled to do in the past through to lack of funds.

The aim of the Digital Inclusion Project is to get local people ‘switched on’ and to help them progress in their lives and reach their full potential. We hope that this new equipment makes a difference to the learning experience of people accessing Wor Hoose services”.