Port Glasgow Community Information Project: Evaluation Final Report

The Port Glasgow Community Information Project aimed to: create a community portal in consultation with the community; help 12 local organisations to develop and maintain websites on the portal; teach the same skills to people in 8 partner agencies; and install and market 4 kiosks in community-based locations. The evaluation aimed to assess: the overall progress and success of the project; the benefits and impact of the project to date; the project process; feedback from the Project Co-ordinator, local partners and organisations assisted. It also provided comparison with the Greater Pollok Community Web Portal.

The methodology consisted of: 8 qualitative interviews with partners and local organisations; a briefing from the project manager and co-ordinator; a review of the website; usage data from the website and kiosks; a visit to a kiosk; findings from a survey of portal users (28) and local organisations (26); comparison of the portal with a similar project; and feedback from partners.

The project met all its key objectives and exceeded some of them. The project has: created a channel for up-to-date, good news to reach the community; helped local groups to improve their capacity to communicate; helped partners and local organisations to see the potential of the web; and fostered a spirit of community development in a short period of time. Interviewees were impressed by the website’s initial hit rate (over 300,000 hits in first full month). Praises the Project Co-ordinator’s abilities and skills.

To maintain growth effectively, the project will need more sustained core funding. Recommends increasing the overall promotion of the portal and kiosks, building formal links with the Community Planning Partnership, developing the portal further, and increasing digital inclusion. Recommends that the project be rolled out to the rest of Inverclyde. Suggests the formation of a new group of project partners, which could consider the current and future roles of staff.