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CURRENT PROJECTS Mobile IT Facility Community surveys carried out by East Durham Partnership have established that local people identify training, and particularly training in information technology skills, as a high priority. As a result the Partnership has succeeded in a bid for funds to acquire a Mobile IT facility.
This is a single decker bus which has been converted and refurbished and equipped with ten PCs (state of the art) in order to take training opportunities into the communities where those who are unwilling or unable to travel to established centres for training can access the facilities. This has proved highly popular and successful since many adults prefer to train in their local area, where they feel secure and are likely to be surrounded by friends and acquaintances. Now IT training courses can be delivered at hundreds of locations across East Durham, on request. The bus has been successfully used in school playgrounds, outside the Community Centres and other similar locations. The facility is much in demand in the region, and has been requested for use by employers to train employees as well as by community groups and voluntary sector organisations throughout East Durham and beyond. Holidays at Home This project was the Partnership's first initiative, and is now an eagerly anticipated annual event. The first Holidays at Home took place in the summer of 1988. Its purpose was - and still is - to provide a range of enjoyable events and recreational activities for people of all ages who are residents of East Durham, in particular those who are not likely to be able to afford a traditional holiday. This project now attracts about a thousand participants each year and the range of activities, offered at minimal cost, includes a picnic for pre-school children to shopping expeditions and sight seeing trips for older people. The scheme runs on funds donated by benevolent organisations and funding agencies, and has taken place over the last seven years over a period of 6 days in July (at the start of the school holidays). In 1997/98 Christmas Holidays at Home and Easter Holidays at Home will take place to augment summer holiday provision. Evening activities during Holidays at Home week, culminate in a prize-giving ceremony and Saturday night party on the final evening. Play and Learn Mobile Creche It is the intention of East Durham Partnership to provide a mobile creche facility in the East Durham area. This will be a high quality childcare facility, social services registered and staffed with qualified caring workers.
As this is a mobile double decker bus it is able to travel anywhere in East Durham to provide childcare. Sessions will range between:
Over a recent 6 weeks trial approximately 1200 children have used the facility and found it essential. We have found that basic childcare facilities can be extremely difficult to find in the East Durham area which greatly affects the opportunities that parents etc can take advantage of. As we are community led we hope to be able to address this situation thus alleviating a lot of the problems.
We are currently looking for funders to enable us to provide the mobile facility for East Durham residents/community centres free of charge. Due to pit closures etc we feel that the area finds it difficult to fund much needed facilities such as this. Training Outreach & Training for Volunteers/Unemployed East Durham Pannership has been supported in recent years by County Durham Training and Enterprise Council, local further education colleges, the Rural Development Commission, and the European Commission all of whom have allocated funds to provide training for residents in targeted areas of East Durham. Locally delivered training is offered with childcare support to disadvantaged people who would otherwise be prevented from obtaining this training because of the existence of a range of barriers such as geographical isolation, lack of childcare support financial hardship etc. A survey of training needs was carried out by East Durham Partnership in 1995 in order to establish the need for provision which has been identified by residents as being relevant and appropriate to their needs. The data is updated regularly to ensure accuracy. East Durham Partnership is a member of the Teesside Open College Network and as such is in a position to submit programmes for accreditation. East Durham Partnership has written its own programme called Working in the Community which has been accredited by TROCN and which has been approved by the Further Education Funding Council as being eligible for FEFC funding. Music Tuition for Young People From July 1997 the Partnership has made available music tuition covering keyboard, guitar and brass instruments for 8 - 15 year old young people. All ability levels are catered for and some instruments are being made available. A grand concert performance is planned for the Christmas holiday period and we expect that this new venture will extend into the new year and will grow in size. We are also looking to expand this in 1998 to offer Music and Drama to young people with special needs ie leaming/physical disabilities which has been identified as a great need for the area. Caravan A 6 berth residential caravan located on a pleasant rural site in Leyburn, North Yorkshire, is owned by the Partnership and rented to clients who are recognised as being in need of respite holidays. Users have included elderly residents, those responsible for the care of people with a physical or leaniing disability, and other needy clients. The Partnership runs this venture as a non-profit making activity. Lets Pretend East Durham Partnership has agreed to operate a franchise to enable the Lets Pretend fancy dress hire service to relocate into the Partnership's premises. The major purpose of this venture will be to provide work experience placement in a real life retail outlet. A secondary consideration is a diversification of Partnership activity with a view to a possible commercial venture at a suitable time in the future. |
