ACE IT Scotland, an Edinburgh-based charity that helps older people to access the digital world, is celebrating after being awarded £198,000 in funding from The National Lottery Community Fund, the largest funder of community activity in the UK.
ACE IT Scotland will use their funding to empower even more older people across the city and beyond, to improve wellbeing and combat digital exploitation, exclusion and loneliness.
This new National Lottery funding will enable ACE IT to expand their services across Edinburgh and into Midlothian, engage meaningfully with more older people through focus groups, and target minority groups and non-English speakers.
The funding starts this week and aims to support 900 learners over three years, as well as recruiting 50 new volunteers to help deliver the service.
National Lottery players raise over £30 million a week for good causes across the UK. The National Lottery Community Fund distributes a share of this to projects to support people and communities to prosper and thrive.
Iain Couper, manager at ACE IT Scotland said: “Thanks to National Lottery players, this funding gives us the stability and resource to grow our services over the next 3 years.
“Having experienced a surge in demand for our digital skills coaching services, we have clear evidence that older people need the skills to get online and to do so safely, more than ever.
“We welcome this opportunity to build upon our 20 years of experience in this area and expand our services across the community to reach more people than ever before, empowering them to live with more independence using digital devices and online services.”
Arlene Raeburn, ACE IT learner, said about the help she received: “I would say to anyone, no matter what their skill level, that using ACE IT to become more IT proficient is an excellent way forward.
“I am grateful for the help and friendly advice which I received from my volunteer tutor.”
During the pandemic, in 2020 alone, The National Lottery Community Fund distributed almost £1 billion to charities and community organisations across the UK.
To find out more visit www.TNLCommunityFund.org.uk
To learn more about ACE IT and get involved, visit www.aceit.org.uk