Building on the successful Connected Communities project, Connected Hebrides will implement a campaign to stimulate usage of BT broadband enabled exchanges, thus maximising economic opportunities for the area.  Through the project, a dedicated team will be recruited to undertake a number of activities. 

These activities include (1) “Get Connected”, a campaign to increase broadband adoption amongst businesses, citizens, public sector, and education.  A team of advisers will focus on the business benefits of utilizing broadband; (2) e-Invoicing Project: to develop “online channels” to support broadband adoption and interaction between the public sector and the business, community and voluntary sectors.  Based on a Swedish model of best practise, the project sponsor will migrate to online/email invoicing to a specific target group for the duration of the project; and (3) Hebrides.tv – the development of a dedicated channel with a broad portfolio which will be a showcase for encouraging innovation and new business development in the new media/creative industries sector, rich and diverse creative and cultural community, and digitising historical film archive material.

Situated on the Lerwick waterfront, Mareel will be a music venue, cinema and education venue comprising a live performance auditorium (320 seated, 600 standing), a digital cinema (159 seats), rehearsal space, recording studio, digital media production facilities, a second screen/training room (35 seats), education facilities and a café bar  

Mareel will act as a hub from which outreach services can be offered to the most rural communities.  It will provide opportunities for local musicians, film-makers and other arts practitioners to develop their skills as well as affording similar opportunities for sound, lighting and recording engineers and those with an interest in digital media. 

As a result of the purchase of a former bakery, Voluntary Action Lewis plan to develop a social business campus which will, ultimately, provide up to 15 good quality manufacturing and managerial jobs and training opportunities for up to 30 disadvantaged people.  Beneficiaries of the facility will include those with learning disabilities, mental health issues and long-term unemployed.

This first phase of the project will renovate approximately half of the former bakery into a chocolate manufacturing business, providing 3 FTEs and 7 training positions.

Whilst based in Stornoway, the project will directly benefit the community sector across Lewis and Harris, specifically those utilising Voluntary Action Lewis’ Community Transport Project.  It will also provide a focus for social enterprise development throughout the Western Isles.