14th November 2001
COMMUNITY HELPS ITSELF TO ACCESS NEW TECHNOLOGIES

Half a dozen local people have given a considerable amount of their time and effort to design and develop a local community computer drop-in centre. On the 19th November Oaks Millennium Technology Initiative in Kendray will open its doors to the community. Local people young and old alike can call in to the centre to use computers, the Internet and e-mail facilities in a friendly and none intimidating environment. Anyone can drop-in and use the computers FREE, they can use the centre as an e-mail address to communicate with friends and family from all corners of the world or to search the World Wide Web for information.

Oaks Millennium Technology Initiative is the first of three UK Online centres to open in Barnsley funded through the Capital Modernisation Fund, which is made up of the Department of Education & Employment and New Opportunities Fund. Refurbishment work on a Barnsley Metropolitan Borough Council House on Farm Road in Kendray was completed in April funded by SRB5. The group has been busy securing other funding to enable the centre to become operational, they have done this by securing money from the Keyfund and Barnsley Development Agency’s Development Fund until the end of March 2002.

Wayne Johnson Chair of the group says “It’s great to see the centre opening after two years of meetings & planning, at times we thought it might never happen. Hopefully people from the local community will come and use the centre and see for themselves what the technology can do”. This project has been supported and assisted by the Barnsley Development Agency’s Community Economic Regeneration Team.

The group are hoping that the continuing determination and commitment they have put in to opening this centre will make it a huge success with everyone from Kendray popping in to see for themselves. Although the centre has state of the art technology there is no need for anyone to be frightened as there will always be friendly staff on hand to show people how to work it. Please call in and see for yourself what you can do using the technology. The centre is situated on Farm Road, Kendray next door to the Furniture Recycling project and will be open Monday to Friday 09.30 am - 17.00 pm.

For further information on Barnsley Development Agency, contact BDA on (01226) 784444



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