The telecare provider CarelineUK has received a grant of £320,000 from the UK innovation foundation Nesta and the Technology Strategy Board (TSB) to help elderly and vulnerable people in the South West connect with their local communities and services.
CarelineUK has contributed an equal amount to the ‘Community Channel, South West’ project, with the balance of the £1 million funding coming from the other project partners, including Dorset County Council, Bournemouth Housing Society for the Elderly, RPPtv, and Bournemouth University Media School.
The pilot project was chosen as part of a joint ‘Destination Local Demonstrators’ competition run by Nesta and TSB, which invited companies to submit proposals on the use of technology to provide digital news and content services to enable people to connect more easily with their local communities.
Using existing community services and IT systems to host a media channel and a new social network, the ‘Community Channel, South West’ project will be piloted in 2015 and delivered through social housing services in Dorset and the South West. Depending on the results of the pilot, the programme will be extended to cover the whole of the UK.
Andrew Gardner, managing director, CarelineUK, said, “We are very excited to be leading the ‘Community Channel, South West’ project and look forward to working with our partners in tackling social isolation. The competition funding and our own investment will ensure we can apply our experience in using technology-based solutions to make a real difference for vulnerable people, giving them more independence and support.”
