blog.

We have just finished working on creating a new microsite for the Multiple Sclerosis Society of Ireland's fundraising team - Take a Challenge

We were briefed to bring all their regular fundraising sporting activities together under one heading and one identity to promote the different sponsored events they have throughout the year.

I'm not into running or swimming myself, but I think I could manage a walk in cuba ...

Ireland are having their first Mud Run on Saturday 27th February 2009, sponsored by Persil, and to raise money for the Multiple Sclerosis Society of Ireland.

The challenge was to create an visual identity for the event, and a microsite accessible through MSI's main website, that would enable users to log in and monitor their own contributions to their account.

They've had a record number of sign ups, and hopefully the event will go off with a bang - it'll certainly be something worth taking a look at for next year!

We've all been impressed by a new website launched by the British Red Cross this week.  Its main aim is to provide parents with free, simple, trustworthy advice on emergency first aid that could one day help to save their child or baby's life. 

What struck us was the level of accessibility incorporated into such a media rich site.  As well as including well-known text-resizing functionality, they have also added subtitles to videos and sensible title tags on navigational links. 

It's clear that they have thought about the whole range of potential site visitors, from the visually impaired to dyslexic and hard of hearing users.

What's slightly disappointing is that they fail to meet the basic validation requirements set out by w3c.  Hopefully this is just a 'work in progress' glitch - it is after all mentioned on their main website that accessibility is something they are constantly trying to improve.

At a time when all web developers should be getting to grips with the new WCAG 2.0 guidelines, this site is a lovely example of user inclusivity.

A hilarious plan to bring a herd of painted swine into Bath's city centre in the name of art has caused consternation among council officials.  Apparently it is felt by some that the pigs would be "inappropriate" and "damaging to the city's character".

The brightly coloured models have been designed to interest summer tourists, engage people with the history of Bath, and raise large sums of money for charity.  Over £20,000 has already been raised in sponsorship fees, which will have to be returned if the conservative elements of the council have their way.

I was lucky enough to see one of the pigs close-up at a BBWA networking event last week.  Beautifully decorated by one of the members, it will certainly stand out against the backdrop of Bath stone-clad town houses.  Joined by a herd of similarly decorated brethren, the sight may turn out to be in turns comical, bizarre and possibly pointless.  The idea gets my thumbs up though!

Source: Bath Chronicle

Picture Source: EcoSherpa

Read more about King Bladud

Last Wednesday I had the opportunity to attend a full days' training on e-safety and child protection in relation to online chat facilities and forums. The session was hosted by Tony Domaille of David Niven Associates and the session was not only interesting and useful but also quite an eye-opener.

Tony worked as a police officer for over 30 years as a Detective Sergeant for the Child Protection Department and the last four years working on the Dangerous Offenders Unit concentrating on sexual exploitation of children through the Internet, so he's more than used to dealing with the issue of paedophilia. I was, on the other hand, very naive and completely unaware of the lengths these people will go to in order to carry out their fantasies and that they are generally very respected and trusted members of our community.

We're working with 3 local authorities on web sites which publicise positive activities for young people and include interactive chat facilities. Bath and North East Somerset council (B&NES) have enlisted the help of Tony to ensure that the moderators of the site are fully trained to recognise any misuse of the site. This includes not only being aware of sexual predators and how to deal with them, but also online bullying, cries for help in relation to issues such as suicide or anorexia, and discrimination against others in terms of things like racism or sexuality.

The actual website has also been enhanced by a number of e-safety features to ensure it's as easy as possible for users to report anything that they're concerned about as well as to deter potential predators. Some of the enhancements are:

• Link to Think U Know, which informs on how to have fun, stay in control and how to report online abuse. 
• Link to the Virtual Global Task Force, which includes information on how to report abuse and provides a template for reporting. The reports reach appropriate authorities via the Child Exploitation On-line Protection Centre (CEOP) who disseminate reports/referrals. 
• Link to directly contact site moderators. 
• Inclusion of House rules for use of the site and forum. 
• Internet Protocol (I.P) address to be captured at the point of registration. 
• The email address provided on registration will be verified before the user is able to use the site.  

The new website - B-Active - is due to go live at the end of April.

Research undertaken by Foreign Direct Investment found Bristol to be one of the best European cities to invest in, second only to London.

Judged against 75 indicators, including business friendliness, quality of life, human resources and economic potential, Bristol came out above many large European cities, above both Paris and Rome.

This comes as no surprise to Focus staff.  Having collective experience of living in Madrid, Paris, London and Dublin, we would all prefer to live and work in Bristol!

Source: Bristol Evening Post

Last week's budget spells good news for small organisations, who may now benefit from Gift Aid without holding charitable status themselves.  Money can now be funnelled through to local voluntary groups, such as youth clubs and community associations from umbrella charities with grant-making power.

This is good news for communities throughout the UK, who will be able to claim 28% tax back on all donations raised. 

Source:  Third Sector

Simon and I were back in Dublin last Wednesday for our first meeting with MS Ireland, since we found out that we had won the contract to develop their new website.

And what a lovely welcome we had, with a breakfast of Pan au Chocolat, hot cross buns and a cup of tea.

The meeting was very productive and we even had time to have some lunch and pop to the shops before catching our flight home.

So, as this entry has an Irish theme, I'd like to say a very happy Saint Patrick's Day to everybody.

A return visit is planned next month to Dublin, thanks to our bid being accepted by MS Ireland. You may remember it was my first trip to Ireland back in December, which I absolutely loved and am looking forward to visiting again. We're also pleased to be working with such an important charity and will keep readers up to date on this blog, by our newsletter and in the news section.

Good news for small charities is imminent from GiftEase, the company who first designed a simple software solution enabling charities to claim tax back on donations.  GiftEase Lite is a pared down version of their first system that is designed to help make the reclamation process far easier.

This could help some of our smaller charitable clients and may have far-reaching benefits for organisations across the UK.

Source: Third sector