In with the IT crowd
Fairburn Memorial Hall SCIO was awarded £3,600 to contribute to the cost of strengthening digital infrastructure, enhancing cybersecurity practices, providing training, and improving system management to support volunteers and ensure secure, efficient operations for the community hall.
Fairburn Memorial Hall (FMH) was built by the community in 2000 and has been registered as a SCIO (Scottish Charitable Incorporated Organisation) since 2017. The volunteer committee manage the facility for a range of community activities, social events, and services for all age groups, including children, older people, and those with disabilities or health issues.
The Hall and its services help to foster community engagement, reduce social isolation, and support the well-being of diverse groups within the local area. Approximately 500 people benefit from the services and activities provided by Fairburn Memorial Hall SCIO annually.
Like most village halls, Fairburn is run by volunteers who are responsible for all the day-to-day hall management tasks as well as maintaining the building and ensuring it is financially viable for the long term. Volunteers are also responsible for maintaining the website and managing all hall bookings, etc.
Volunteers were aware of the need to modernise and strengthen many of their processes, which had evolved over the years as different committee members with varying levels of expertise had come and gone. They realised that they needed some additional professional help to set them up on a sound footing going forward.
Fairburn Memorial Hall sought funding to modernise its digital infrastructure and enhance cybersecurity practices. The hall is run entirely by volunteers, many of whom rely on personal devices and shared accounts, creating risks to data security, continuity, and accountability. The project aimed to address these issues by implementing secure, low-cost digital systems, strengthening cybersecurity measures, and providing tailored guidance to volunteers.
Some specific issues identified included updating the website. This previously used an outdated WordPress system. FMH identified the need for help to update this platform and ensure information is secure and backed up. Shared devices and shared social media account logins also needed to be safe, easy to use and secure for future succession of volunteers and for the general sustainability of the group.
FMH wanted to ensure that everything relating to the website, shared accounts, and workspaces would be set up properly and that all volunteers have a good understanding of the process of ongoing updates and maintaining excellent and ongoing levels of cybersecurity.
The Fairburn Memorial Hall committee planned to deliver the project by engaging professional IT support, to help them in the areas where they felt that they lacked the necessary expertise.
Initial discussions were held with a local IT company, and a more in-depth consultation was then held with a social enterprise, which specialises in support for third sector organisations. This group was then contracted to support the hall volunteers to meet their need for IT support in a very tailored way. Work is underway at the time of writing.
Fairburn Memorial Hall volunteer, Amanda, said:
| “The Hall is refreshing its administrative infrastructure and digital footprint. Thanks to recent funding from Corriemoillie Wind Farm, we are working with experts at Breeze Digital to refresh our digital systems, ensuring our data is safe and streamlined, as well as a review of our website. It will help us move away from using personal accounts and build a professional digital foundation to ensure volunteers have the tools to easily manage the hall's activities safely and securely.” |