PR 2693
WEBSITE WINNERS REVEALED AT HANTSWEB CEREMONY
Some of Hampshire's finest websites have been recognised in a special awards ceremony at the St. Mary's Stadium in Southampton.
The Hantsweb Awards, co-ordinated by Hampshire County Council, aim to recognise website excellence in the county.
The Lord-Lieutenant of Hampshire, Mrs Mary Fagan was guest of honour and officially opened the ceremony and this year the host was presenter Philippa Forrester.
Now in its fourth year, the Hantsweb Awards continue to attract increasing numbers of entries. This year the county-wide competition received over 740 nominations for the 12 award categories. These were whittled down to a short-list of 36 finalists, three in each category, by a panel of expert judges.
From a cyber café to online help finding cheap local petrol prices - a wide range of websites have been acknowledged, all with one thing in common; providing a useful service to people in Hampshire and the Isle of Wight.
The Hantsweb team were looking for websites which were accessible to all, easy to use and attractively designed, as well providing relevant, useful and up-to-date information.
The Leader of the County Council, Councillor Ken Thornber, said: "I am delighted to be able to acknowledge and reward the organisations whose websites make such a positive contribution to the quality of life in Hampshire.
"I would like to congratulate all the winners and runners up on their success and thank them for creating such accessible, user-friendly and worthwhile online services. I would also like to thank all the sponsors of the Hantsweb Awards for helping to make the people of Hampshire more aware of the quality and variety of websites and public access sites available to them."
Winners were presented with the winners trophy and certificate and runners up with a certificate.
ENDS
Notes for Editors
Photographs of winners and runners up are available on request.
The Hantsweb Awards are organised by Hampshire County Council with sponsorship from: Microsoft, Cisco Systems, ESRI (UK), Symantec, Synetrix, Claranet, Citrix Systems, SAP, 2nd Chance, Anite, EMC, IBM, Norsk Data, SEEDA, Wyse Technology (UK), South Hampshire Enterprise Agency and Unisys, with prizes sponsored by Dell, Hampshire Fare, Macmillan Education Publishing, MRSK, Progenit, and Start Fareham.
The award was designed and made by local artist Sue Tinkler, based near Winchester, using locally sourced materials.
Hantsweb Awards 2005 winners and runners up (by category):
Most Accessible Website
WINNER: www.winchestercab.org.uk
Judges comments: The citizens' advice bureau provides a well balanced web site that supports people both with disabilities and without. The site proved easy to use with assistive technologies, making the process of locating information very straightforward. The site includes many features, such as clear and helpful links and page titles, intended to assist visitors to the site. Thought has clearly gone into making this essential community resource available to all citizens.
Runners up: www.iwight.com & www.twyford-organ.com
Best Public Internet Access Point
WINNER: www.eastpointcybercafe.co.uk
Judges comments: The Easypoint Cyber Cafe is easily accessible, with plenty of parking. It conforms to the Disability Discrimination Act in all respects, and is a well-lit and spacious environment. People of all ages would feel comfortable here, and would be well supported by centre staff Users have the opportunity to be trained on a wide variety of software, and the Cyber Café offers specific sessions to enable people to obtain the European Computer Driving Licence.
Runners up: www.hants.gov.uk/testvalleyfoyer & www.phunkmedia.co.uk
Best Interactive Website
WINNER: www.thirdagecentre.co.uk
Judges comments: The Third Age Centre in Southampton caters for the silver surfer market, and their web site is a testament to both information and accessibility compliance. The site is easy to use and simply laid-out with consistent navigation throughout. The pop-up menus are supported by other accessible navigation options, which is good to see. This is a crucial resource for an older market and is packed with useful services and an option to donate online.
Runners up: www.ourproperty.co.uk & www.petrolprices.com
Best School Website
WINNER: www.mayhill.hants.sch.uk
Judges comments: Mayhill Junior School has a web site vibrant with colour; reflecting the exciting and varied activities taking place in the school. There are plenty of examples of pupils' work, along with reports from competitions and activities they have been engaged in. The range of format of information for those visiting the site is outstanding, with video and animations set alongside the beautifully produced text and graphics. The site is up to date with clear navigation. As well as being very informative, parents and the public will find it an exciting and reassuring place to visit.
Runners up: www.court-moor.hants.sch.uk & www.testwood.hants.sch.uk
Best Public Service Website
WINNER: www.portsmouth.gov.uk
Judges comments: Portsmouth City Council's website is very well presented, professional and clean site. It is quick to download across a variety of connection speeds, probably because it does not have too many graphics. The site is very accessible and has a consistent navigation throughout, in line with many other successful Government sites. The site caters for all consumers covered by the authority, and the information is up to date. There is a wide range of services for consumers to interact with, facilitated by this site. A real plus point is the fact that many languages were catered for, and the website has a real sense of being owned by the local people. Well done Portsmouth.
Runners up: www.basingstoke.gov.uk & www.testvalley.gov.uk
Best Community or Voluntary Organisation Website
WINNER: www.connexions-southcentral.org
Judges comments: South Central Connxesions site stands out because of its eye-catching design and stylish interface. It contains stacks of highly useful content including practical guidance, contacts, useful resources, options and advice on all sorts from career and health to money, relationships, rights, housing and travel. In terms of usability and accessibility the site scored almost full marks. It strikes the right balance between fresh useful content and brows-able, clickable, inviting design.
Runners up: www.iwight.com & www.leukaemiabusters.org.uk
Best Town or Parish Council Website
WINNER: www.marchwoodparishcouncil.org.uk
Judges comments: The parish of Marchwood is on the outskirts of Southampton. Their website is very clear and very fast. The font is clear and becomes bolder as it goes larger - useful for those with failing eyesight. The site is extremely informative for residents.
Runners up: www.freshwater-parish.org.uk & www.wickham.parish.hants.gov.uk
Best Small Business Website
WINNER: www.armorica.co.uk
Judges comments: Armorica has been trading as a specialist retailer of quality cookware in Petersfield since 1999. It now sells branded cookware on-line via its website. Armorica have a well built, simple and easy to use online marketplace, with a testimonials section that verifies them as a forward thinking company which, through the use of the website have managed to give this Hampshire-based shop a national customer base.
Runners up: www.adriangarside.co.uk & www.bonneroute.co.uk
Best Rural Enterprise Website
WINNER: www.sunnyfields.co.uk
Judges comments: Sunnyfields Organic is a bright, informative website offering users a wide range of products. The level of detail available for each product is particularly impressive. It is clear to see how the web plays a central role in the Sunnyfields' business.
Runners up: www.horsevet.co.uk & www.rothervalleyorganics.com
Best Special Interest Website
WINNER: www.hago.org.uk
Judges comments: Hampshire Area Guitar Orchestra brings together amateur and professional guitarists playing four different sizes of guitar. They are one of only a few true guitar orchestras, and they have a unique sound. The Orchestra's website contains an enormous amount of information which leaves the reader with no doubt about who HAGO are and what they do - forthcoming concerts, charity work, workshops, and how to join. Their website is clear and visually attractive, easy to navigate, and includes a wealth of resources, and even a link seeing and hearing them in action
Runners up: www.twyford-organ.com & www.visitandlearn.co.uk
Best Recreation & Tourism Website
WINNER: www.gosportboroughfc.co.uk
Judges comments: Gosport Borough Football Club has a strong but simple design the site is clear about its subject, providing key information to supporters and the general public. Particularly impressive is how up-to-date the site is and how it encourages feedback from supporters.
Runners up: www.ddaymuseum.co.uk & www.hants.org.uk/raag
Best Young People's Website
WINNER: www.ilikemusic.com
Judges comments: Ilikemusic.com is a great site - a large scale online fanzine with so much more to offer than a traditional paper-based one. The pages are very busy, with a lot of images and text vying for the reader's attention, but it still remains a well designed and established website. Winner 2004
Runners up : www.hantsyfc.org & www.southscene.net
Winner of the Microsoft Award for Growth Through IT
WINNER: www.thinkingclassroom.co.uk
Aspiro win £10,000 worth of consultancy and equipment from Microsoft for their Thinking Classroom. This is a one-off prize awarded to the entrant that Microsoft believes has the greatest potential to grow and expand through enhancing their technology.
Judges comments: We felt that Aspiro had a clear vision of how technology could help their business grow, with new business streams and new methods for engaging and growing the customer base all driven by technology. Mike aspires to enrich the life experience of 1m people a year, and can only achieve this through using technology to build online communities, online training resources and CRM solutions to support & grow his customer base. He wants his website to be able to support a wider range of people's learning preferences in the way it presents information, which we felt demonstrated an ambition to stretch our knowledge of what technology can do, and that caught our imagination.
For further information please contact: Mary Stone on 01962 847367
mary.stone@hants.gov.uk
09/03/2006