During the summer, WEM provided funding support to Lancaster & Morecambe College (LMC) to launch a new Digital Inclusion project in the West End of Morecambe. Offering advice, support and training for local residents to help them develop essential digital skills at The Link on West Street (also known as The Verandah) .
Through a series of drop-in workshops and 1-1 sessions, adults will be able to build confidence and develop key skills in a supportive environment, allowing them to progress onto recognised qualifications. John Goodrich, who previously managed the Morecambe Learning Centre in Morecambe Town Centre, will be offering a range of workshops and classes at The Link on West Street, a collaborative venture between Lancaster & Morecambe College, Lancaster District CVS, Morecambe Bay Poverty Truth and Stanleys Community Centre, which opens to the public this month.
The funding from WEM for the Digital Inclusion project coincided with plans for the opening of The Link on West Street, a collaboration which was borne out of the 2nd round of the Morecambe Bay Poverty Truth Commission. The idea was for the different agencies to work together out of one centre, offering a range of support, advice and learning opportunities to residents of the West End, and this came to fruition at the end of June, when The Link opened its doors for the first time.
The Link has now been open on West Street for some weeks and has recently had wi-fi installed (courtesy of the Morecambe Bay Poverty Truth Commission) and has a supply of laptops and other devices for people to access.
Guests and visitors are able to drop-in to visit the centre, enjoy a cuppa and a cake, and chat with the team behind the partnership. The Link will initially be open 4 days per week, but the hope is that the partnership will expand to offer additional services to the community. A member of LDCVS staff works out of The Link two full days a week (every Tuesday and Thursday).
You can read more about this WEM-funded project on the LMC website here.
