A Hereford charity is one of only six organisations in the country to receive funding to help disadvantaged young people gain digital skills.

Rural Media, which uses film to celebrate country life, has been awarded £3,000 by the Carnegie UK Trust to help young people within the Gypsy, Roma and Traveller (GRT) community develop digital skills.

The start-up funding is part of the Carnegie Trust's #NotWithoutMe digital inclusion Accelerator programme, which supports the development of inclusive digital projects for marginalised young people aged between 11 and 25.

Grant Black, Creative Director at Rural Media Charity said: “We believe film and digital arts can be an effective catalyst for social change and can help give a voice to disadvantaged and rural communities. We are delighted that our digital skills programme for the young GRT community has been recognised by Carnegie UK Trust and are excited to see what we can achieve in the next six months with this valuable support.”

Rural Media will work with Gypsy, Roma and Traveller young people locally and nationally to develop their skills through workshops and film.

Douglas White, Head of Advocacy at Carnegie UK Trust, added: “As a society, technology and digital skills are now a fundamental part of everyday life. However, we must not assume that just because young people have grown up in the digital age that they automatically have the skills and confidence to navigate the digital world effectively.

"Many young people need support to develop their skills, to take advantage of the many benefits that technology can bring while also managing the risks. Removing barriers and creating opportunities to facilitate digital inclusion will have a positive impact on our society as a whole.

“The #NotWithoutMe accelerator is allowing us to work with some impressive organisations across the UK including Rural Media who are already doing great work in the local community. We hope that this support allows them to kick-start this new digital skills project and help change the lives of more young people.”

Rural Media will also receive expert support and resources over a six month period and will have the opportunity to bid for a further £40,000 of funding.