Rural VCO’s are benefiting from the ruralnet|uk managed ‘Improving Reach’ project, supported by Capacity Builders. As part of this project, rural VCO’s are being invited to adopt a widget for their website.

Supported by Capacity Builders and specifically developed by ruralnet|uk, the widget will help to deliver up-to-date online advice and information directly to the VCO’s website, improving access to relevant information for the organisations network and users.

The widget is dynamic and acts as a portable web based access point, as ruralnet|uk Project Manager, Damian Harries explains;
“The widget is a way of delivering timely and relevant content and services directly to an organisations network or users. Easy to add to a website, the information is updated dynamically; effectively delivering ruralnet|uk’s Experts Online and xPRESSDigest services. With a simple online registration, users can ask questions across a variety of work-related areas as well as benefit from the cross-pollination of ideas and resources being stimulated and generated by users in a variety of community sectors, networks and geographic localities. The widget puts all of this at the users’ finger-tips within the VCO’s own domain…”
Organisations that have already deployed the widget include; Teesdale Village Halls, Waveney Community Forum and Fenland CVS, with many more in the process of uploading their widget.
The Improving Reach project is funded to the end of March 2008. There is some money still available and the ruralnet|uk team are keen to hear from any rural VCO’s or networks interested in finding out more about the widget and how it could help them.

Notes to editors
1. ruralnet|uk is a registered charity number 1089238
2. Funded by Capacity Builders, Improving Reach has aims built around identifying ways to provide isolated rural groups with face-to-face training and access to online advice and support services to enable them to use ICT more effectively to manage their organisations and deliver their services. Go to http://www.ruralnetuk.org/improving-reach-2 for more information about the project.
3. Contact Angela Brankley or Damian Harries on 0845 1300 411 for more information.