Background.
"Make local people more aware of services and facilities available to them."
That was the challenge set for decision makers in South Wiltshire following a series of public workshops that were run across rural South Wiltshire in 2001. The issue is clear. A large number of community groups, organisations, businesses and other agencies provide vital services to the rural South Wiltshire communities - but people are not always aware of those services or how to gain access to them.

The project was been developed by the South Wiltshire Strategic Alliance (SWSA) - a Local Strategic Partnership bringing together 16 key public, private and voluntary organisations. The project was managed by Steve Milton at Salisbury District Council in Wiltshire, UK and involved a group of local volunteers. Funding was secured from the Government ePathfinders Scheme.

The Community web
The idea was actually dead simple. 'Why not give everyone living or working in South Wiltshire the opportunity to build and maintain his or her own web sites for free? No technical stuff, just a simple template driven service.'

Following competitive tender, Cravenplan Computers Ltd based in Swallowcliffe near Salisbury was selected as development partner to create the software that runs the Community web. Phase I of the project was completed for testing in October 2002. It was followed by extensive consultation with users and led to a number of changes that became Phase II of the programme. The site was launched officially at the Guildhall in Salisbury on 17th May this year. Cravenplan are partners in the project and manage sales to other areas on behalf of the South Wiltshire Strategic Alliance.

Why South Wiltshire Strategic Alliance Proceeded With The Project
“ We believe that the South Wiltshire Community web is one way of stimulating community regeneration. Increasing access to information and services helps maximize take-up and this can help to build and maintain the viability of demand led services, such as community transport schemes and rural businesses - consultation work revealed that many small businesses are unable to meet the costs of providing their own dedicated web sites or feel they have the expertise available to do so. It also helps support the long term sustainability of clubs, societies and voluntary groups - providing them with a simple way of communicating with members, users and the general population.”

Does it work?
There are now over 500 micro sites hosted within the portal with a hugely diverse user profile - from beekeepers to GPs. Sophisticated statistical information is collected automatically and reveals that in the last 12 months the site has received over 2.5m hits. The numbers are increasing each month as publicity and promotion helps to raise awareness in the community.

Don't take our word for it - read some of the testimonials.