In a break from the norm, the WCIT Charity recently funded the development of a new website for Sunderland Seafront Trust. Their small grant was endorsed by Liveryman Gilbert Pant, who had provided the organisation with pro bono technical advice on building and tendering for the new site.
Sunderland Seafront Trust comprises a group of passionate volunteers who give tours of the Grade II-listed Roker Pier and Lighthouse. They had been hard-hit by Covid, council cutbacks and storm damage, and needed something which would not only showcase the heritage attraction but allow people to book tours and purchase souvenirs online, since that was their only source of income. Unfortunately, their former website was no longer fit for purpose as they were not able to update it or afford the costs for hosting.
Gilbert’s proposed solution was to rebuild the website on a more user-friendly CMS which would minimise crashes, allow the team to update the website themselves, and improve the customer journey for online purchases and bookings. After successfully securing the funds, Gilbert continued to work with the team and provided pro bono help implementing the website. On completion of the project, he said: “Working with the small team at Sunderland Seafront Trust to develop their new website was extremely satisfying and rewarding.”
Maureen McCartney, Secretary at the Trust, added: “Now that the website can be updated by our volunteers, we will save significant amounts of time, money and frustration, while the public now have a website that is much quicker and easier to use. We can now develop our plans for the website and add more content, including virtual tours for the public to interact with.”
This combination of pro bono help and a small grant highlights the benefits of the Charity’s ‘funding plus’ aspiration, which multiplies the impact the Livery and Charity can have on an organisation when working together. With thousands of people visiting Roker Pier each year, the now fully functional website for this small volunteer-led heritage trust will certainly have a big impact on their work.
