Blog: We’ve won £150k funding!

Today we received amazing news – TechResort has won approximately £150,000 grant from the Coastal Communities Fund

TechResort has achieved lots with very little – thanks to borrowed kit, the efforts of volunteers and kind donations from supporters. It’s been a struggle, but it’s shown that our work is worthwhile.

That’s why we’re doubly delighted about this announcement. Today we’ve been awarded approximately £150,000 from HM Government’s Coastal Communities Fund. It recognises the hard work and dedication of so many people – you know who you are – and we’re extremely grateful to all concerned.

The grant is the result of six months’ careful planning with our partners – Driving Devonshire Forward, Eastbourne Homes, Eastbourne Borough Council and the Towner Gallery. The team as a whole has won £1.84m which will make a massive difference to Eastbourne. We’re looking forward to getting started.

What the money will pay for

Our programme centres on Devonshire Ward and includes:

  • Expanding our code and making clubs to provide hands on practical learning opportunities for at least 80 students aged 8-18 years
  • Creating 20 new full time jobs in the local tech and digital sector, and safeguarding 8 existing full time jobs
  • Finding out what local tech and digital businesses need to grow, and doing everything we can to help them
  • Understanding how a local ‘growth fund’ for local tech and digital startups could be established, and encouraging partners to get on board
  • Launching a matching service for talented creative, digital and tech students and local businesses. At least 5 employers and 10 students should be involved
  • Hiring the equivalent of three full time people to help run our expanded programme

While this project will directly benefit Devonshire, we want it to create spinoffs elsewhere in Eastbourne and across the county. If you’d like to partner with us, please get in touch.

There’s lots we need to do to now, but we’re delighted to be properly funded at last. Onwards and upwards.

Thanks to Avant Photographic for the photo.

Quotes

“This is absolutely tremendous news. It backs a cutting edge digital project started and sourced in Eastbourne by a bunch of really talented people, and also demonstrates yet again that as a town we keep pushing the envelope. Great news for TechResort, for our young people who are interested in this area and for Eastbourne – the seaside town that most certainly does not sit back and take it easy!”

Stephen Lloyd, MP for Eastbourne

“With this investment by the government, TechResort will be empowered to create new opportunities for young people, equipping them with the experience, skills and confidence they need to be successful in our digital age. I sense this is the beginning of something really exciting for the Town. Massive thanks to the TechResort team, a small band of experts who give so generously of their time and expertise, driven by the dream of what a local digital revolution could do for our community.”

Councillor Caroline Ansell, Conservative candidate for MP

“This grant recognises the valuable contribution of our volunteers and allows us to expand our work to students who wouldn’t ordinarily get these kind of opportunities. Over time it’ll make a huge difference to the economy of our town”.

Will Callaghan, director, TechResort

About TechResort

TechResort is a not-for-profit Community Interest Company (No. 08526107) dedicated to boosting Eastbourne’s creative, digital and tech economy.

Its directors are drawn from the digital industry and local community. They are:

  • Will Callaghan (product manager with the Government Digital Service and founder of the Eastbourne Can network of community groups)
  • Liz Crew (project manager and director of Extraverte, a CIC that helps people make their community a better place to be)
  • Dr Aidan Delaney (researcher and lecturer in computer science at the University of Brighton)
  • Mark Hadley (Regional Councillor for the RSA and an entrepreneur)
  • Adam McNaught-Davis (leader of the Eastbourne Town Team and runs his own successful creative agency)
  • Shane Mitchell (RSA fellow and an Academician at Academy of Urbanism)

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