MANX LOTTERY TRUST SUPPORTS THE CHILDREN’S CENTRE’S ‘DIGITAL FINGERS’ PROJECT
An Island charity has been awarded a grant of £50,000 for a second year of funding towards its online connectivity initiative for children, young people and families called ‘Digital Fingers’.
The Children’s Centre, an independent Manx charity, pioneers a variety of community initiatives and services which enable children, young people, and families to realise their full potential. The charity offers a range of services, including family support and a variety of learning and adventure-based activity programmes for children and their families.
This grant was offered as part of Manx Lottery Trust’s Thematic Funding for 2021, Bridging the Digital Divide. The children’s charity also received additional funding from Community Awards to further develop the project in its first year.
‘Digital Fingers’ is a holistic programme that encourages children’s learning and development and improves communication using digital solutions. The grant will fund a range of costs to support the ongoing project, including a communications project worker, training, community events and computer equipment, including a small number of the revolutionary mini-computers’ Raspberry Pi’.
Joff Whitten, Head of The Children's Centre, commented: ‘The Children’s Centre uses digital solutions across our work; whether this is helping isolated children reconnect with their families or encouraging young people living with disabilities to learn computing and digital making skills.
‘Over the last two years, we have had to adapt our offering and services. After the outbreak of Covid-19 and during the various lockdowns we quickly transitioned to a remote model, carrying out the majority of our support work virtually. Without a doubt, the charity’s digital approach helped us keep those vital connections with our clients, volunteers, other Island communities, and UK research centres. The grant from the Manx Lottery Trust has enabled us to fund the digital programme for a second year and will go a long way in improving the lives of our young clients and their families.’
Manx Lottery Trust Chairman, Sarah Kelly, added: ‘This digital project will support many struggling families across the Island and will enable The Children’s Centre to keep better connected with a whole host of individuals and organisations from within the Manx community, including care providers, Government bodies, corporate donors, and of course the general public - all of whom are vital to the charity’s work.’
This grant is from Manx Lottery Trust’s Community Awards Programme. Manx Lottery Trust has been delegated to distribute National Lottery money from The National Lottery Community Fund. To find out more, head to: www.mlt.org.im/
