This item was published during the term of a previous administration that ended in April 2007
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Rural gateway swings opens
10/03/2003
A new website for individuals, groups and organisations
across rural Scotland is now available on the worldwide
web.
The Rural Community Gateway website (RCGW) is designed
to help rural communities come together, access information
on rural issues and share good practice.
Unveiling the website today at Nairn Community Centre,
Deputy Minister for Environment and Rural Development Allan
Wilson said:
"I am delighted to launch the Rural Community Gateway
website today - it is an exciting and innovative project
for all rural communities across Scotland.
"Those who use the gateway can find out what's going on
across rural Scotland, have online discussions and catch up
on all the latest news.
"These benefits are especially important for rural
communities where remoteness and the scattered nature of
rural settlements make it difficult to deliver services or
share information.
"The possibilities of the Gateway are almost endless. It
will have a huge impact on the way that rural communities
operate in Scotland and will allow many diverse
organisations from Dingwall to Dumfries work better and
smarter.
"I have recognised that potential by making over
£100,000 available for the development of the website.
Although we have provided the funding, the website belongs
to Scotland's rural communities and I look forward to
seeing the positive difference s that the gateway will make
to people living in our rural areas."
Mr Wilson added:
"The Executive recognises that not everyone has Internet
access. We are working hard to close that gap and this
Community Centre is one of 1000 proposed venues across
Scotland where the public can access the internet for no
more that £1 an hour through the Public Internet Access
Points (PIAPS) initiative."
The content of the website is managed and developed by
the Rural Issues Team at the Scottish Council for Voluntary
Organisations (SCVO) based in Inverness.
The Public Internet Access Points (PIAPS) initiative is
part of the digital inclusion agenda. Ministers have
announced an objective of having public access to the web
within one mile in urban areas and five miles in rural
areas by 2005.
The PIAPS initiative was launched in April 2002 and aims
to create over 1000 new Internet access points in a wide
range of accessible venues such as pubs and post offices.
Over 500 offers have been made to date, with over 400
venues fully installed and up and running. Nairn Community
Centre has just received four PIAPs under the
initiative.