Web Group Coordinator's report for 2007/8

Some members of the Web Group at a training session

Photo by Jack Latimer

Past, present and future of the North Laine

By Peter Crowhurst, NLCA Web Group Coordinator

Lottery grant

In August 2007 the NLCA applied for a lottery grant for a new contributory website and in November we heard that we had been successful in our bid.

Training

The company behind the award winning Brighton website 'My Brighton and Hove': http://www.mybrightonandhove.org.uk was chosen to train a team of volunteers who would manage the site and in February the first training session was held, since when [at the time of writing] there have been two more sessions. The group now numbers nine and it is to be hoped that once the site is live in July, more volunteers will come forward.

Producing content

The volunteers are at present working hard on producing content and organising the content on the future site. Volunteers have come with a variety of experience (the only essential qualification needed is having a computer at home) and have learnt to manage the operating system in a very short time.

A contributory site

The website will be a contributory site focusing on recording reminiscences and encouraging debate as well as having a wealth of historical material. We will open the site to local residents in June and then go public in July with a major launch. We then hope that all local residents with computers will come to regard the site as an essential guide to the past, present and future of the North Laine.

[Previously published in the North Laine Runner, No 191, March/April 2008]