xx August 2011
Neighbourhood Watch highly commended at prestigious 2011 Nominet
Internet Awards
National Neighbourhood and Home Watch website recognised as one of the UK’s
most innovative internet projects
The national charity for Neighbourhood and Home Watch across England and Wales
have been highly commended at the Nominet Internet Awards 2011, which highlights
UK companies, charities and individuals which are making a difference on, or
through, the Internet.
Under the category, Nurturing Powerful Local Partnerships, the Neighbourhood and
Home Watch Network (NHWN) have been highly commended for its National
Neighbourhood and Home Watch website. The www.ourwatch.org.uk provides
support and guidance to all members of Neighbourhood and Home Watch, as well
as information and advice for partners and people requiring information from the
largest voluntary movement within the UK.
Jim Maddan, Chair of NHWN said:
‘This award depicts all of the hard work and commitment by our members and
partners to work together to enable Neighbourhood and Home Watch to help
engage with a wider audience and membership by landing confidently and
assertively into the digital age.
‘Literally hundreds of people find the website every day via search engines
when looking for a local Neighbourhood Watch or Home Watch
scheme. Over a hundred people every day register to join a scheme or enter
their own scheme on the national database for others to find. The site is a
triumph and an absolute accolade to the thousands of Neighbourhood Watch
volunteers across England & Wales who have in the last few years created
xx August 2011
the NHWN organisation and a website which any blue chip corporation would
be delighted with’.
Malcolm Elsworth, Technical Director at Electric Putty said:
‘We were delighted when we heard the Our Watch website has been highly
commended at the Nominet awards.
‘As third-sector specialists, Electric Putty had worked closely with the Design
Council, Neighbourhood and Home Watch and VISAV Limited, the
company behind the Neighbourhood Alert system, on developing the Our
Watch website.
A key feature of the new site is the 'Brand Centre'. This provides registered members
with the ability to produce professional, engaging and 'on brand' publicity material
and print these directly from the website. The brand materials have been designed to
keep printing costs low by keeping colour to 2 tones and allowing extensive
customisability, including the choice of logo as per local preference.
Malcolm from Electric Putty summed up Electric Putty's involvement saying:
‘It was a technically challenging project but great fun to work on. We feel
privileged to have been part of the team behind the Our Watch website and
it's terrific to receive this recognition from Nominet’.
Mike Douglas, Director of VISAV Limited said:
‘VISAV are proud to be associated with the site, the Design Council and
Electric Putty did a superb job with its design and construction and we are
delighted that our Neighbourhood Alert product is playing its part as the
official scheme database. A key part of our brief was to enable the database
management and innovative scheme tools to be accessible to the grass roots
members and local associations and organisations.
xx August 2011
‘Police forces in Nottinghamshire, Leicestershire, Lincolnshire, Cumbria and
Northamptonshire have seen the benefits of this integrated approach and
have fully engaged with the system. After a few short months since the site
launched this combined approach has enabled over 34,000 people to engage
with this innovative “community networking” approach.’
‘In our twelve years of database and website management we have never
witnessed such a success story. It is highly deserved that an organisation as
renowned and knowledgeable as Nominet should Highly Commend this site
and the people behind it: well done Neighbourhood and Home Watchers
everywhere.
The Nominet Internet Awards, which aims to highlight organisations or individuals
who have undertaken specific projects which raise Internet industry standards and
showcase best practice, were reviewed by an independent panel of judges chaired
by the Rt Hon Alun Michael MP, and included Will Gardner, CEO of Childnet
International, Dr Vicki Nash at the Oxford Internet Institute and Professor Sonia
Livingstone from the London School of Economics.
Lesley Cowley, CEO of Nominet says: "Every year we’re impressed and inspired by
the range and quality of entries to the Awards, and this year is no different. All the
nominees have demonstrated the amazing ways in British businesses, charities and
individuals are using the internet to make a positive, tangible impact on British
society. With so many innovative projects taking place all across the UK, we’re
already looking forward to seeing what entries we receive in 2012.”
xx August 2011
From left to right:
Mike Douglas (Director, VISAV Limited, Lynn Farrar (Vice-Chair, NHWN),
Catherine Dunn (Information, Database and Website Manager, NHWN), Jon
Shaw (Technical Director, VISAV Limited), Kate Daisley (Operations Director,
NHWN).
Ends
Notes to Editors:
1. For more information regarding NHWN please contact Kate Daisley, Operations
Director on 07827 837729.
2. For more information regarding the Design Council’s Designing Out Crime project
with NHW please click here http://www.designcouncil.org.uk/ourwork/challenges/Security/Design-out-crime/Housing/
xx August 2011
3. For more information about Neighbourhood Alert please contact Mike Douglas,
Managing Director of VISAV on 07771 557788.
4. For more information about Electric Putty please contact Melanie Burke or
Malcolm Elsworth on 01273 677557 www.electricputty.co.uk
About the Neighbourhood and Home Watch Network (NHWN)
Neighbourhood Watch is a network where people come together to make their
communities safer, which involves the police, community safety officers, local
authorities, voluntary organisations and above all, individuals and families who want
to make their neighbourhoods a better place to live.
Neighbourhood Watch (also known as Home Watch in some areas of the UK) now
aims to help people protect themselves and their properties and to reduce crime and
the fear of crime, the incidence of fire and environmental damage, by means of
improved home security and home safety awareness, greater vigilance, accurate
reporting of suspicious incidents to the police, and by fostering a community spirit.
Neighbourhood Watch plays a key role in helping deliver safer neighbourhoods and
supporting and influencing Neighbourhood Policing Teams throughout England and
Wales.
Since 2007, the Neighbourhood and Home Watch Network (England and Wales) has
existed to improve community life across England and Wales by listening to and
supporting the 7.9 million grassroots members (as estimated from the 2009 Public
Liability Insurance for households covered by the movement), and representing them
so that their voice can be influential and heard at a national level. NHWN is
constituted as an independent third sector charitable organisation and registered
company, and works closely with the Home Office and the Association of Chief
Police Officers (ACPO).
xx August 2011
About the Internet Awards
The Nominet Internet Awards is an annual competition which is aimed at UK
individuals and organisations who are helping to make the internet a secure, open,
accessible and diverse experience for everyone who uses it. These awards
celebrate great UK internet projects by recognising achievement and innovation.
Building on the success of the past four years, we will recognise those organisations,
groups and individuals who have embraced the challenge of making the internet a
secure, open, accessible and diverse experience. Winners will be promoted in the
UK and internationally as examples of best practice. Supporters of the Nominet
Internet Awards include MPs, industry leaders, civil institutions, businesses, public
sector and academia.
About Nominet
Nominet is a not-for-profit organisation responsible for the smooth and secure
running of the .uk Internet infrastructure. A public service ethos drives everything we
do – we strive to make the Internet an ever more trusted space for everyone who
uses it.
As one of the world’s largest Internet registries, we maintain a ‘directory’ of domain
names ending in.uk, and run the technology which locates the computer hosting the
website or email address you are looking for.
The awards are run in partnership with the Nominet Trust, a body which supports
initiatives that contribute to a safe and accessible internet. The Awards highlights
projects which are making the Internet a secure, open, accessible and diverse
experience for all.
For the full list of winners, commended entries and videos from the ceremony, visit
the Nominet Internet Awards website.