Friday 23 June 2006 - 09.00hrs
An innovative project, which is viewed by thousands of residents
across south Bristol, has won a national award.
Community TV was launched last month and is the result of a
partnership between Avon Fire & Rescue Service and several
other organisations. AF&RS led the project, working alongside
Avon & Somerset Constabulary, Bristol City Council and Safer
Bristol. The agencies have jointly funded the project, which has
also been given a grant by the Government Office South West.
The project has seen 10 large plasma screens installed in
community venues across the south of the city. These are then used
to broadcast important messages from the partners to almost 27,000
people, and can also be used in the event of major incidents, to
broadcast public safety messages. The network is delivered by
Community Communication Network Limited (CCN).
Last night, Community TV scooped the top prize in the Telecoms
Innovation category at the prestigious Local Government Good
Communications awards, designed to recognise excellence in public
sector communications. AF&RS and partners received the award
for demonstrating an effective use of a new or emerging
technology.
AF&RS Deputy Chief Fire Officer Jerry O’Brien has been
involved with the project from its inception. He said: "This award
is a fantastic achievement for our partnership and can only help us
go from strength to strength. It recognises the forward-thinking of
this partnership and the innovative approach we have taken to
getting vital messages across to the communities we serve."
CCN Chief Executive Ian Rose said: ""We are absolutely delighted
that one of our most recently launched schemes has won this
prestigious national award. It is recognition of the unique values
of the Community Communication Network and its ability to provide
relevant and useful information to the community. We have worked
with several local organisations to install this system and it
proves the power of working in partnership to improve communities
across the UK."