Musical youth go online, thanks to scheme

The Amicus project is a partnership between pupils at Beaumont Hill and Skerne Park primary schools in Darlington.

Margaret Severi, a teacher at Beaumont Hill, came up with the idea for Amicus, which is Latin for friendship.

She said: "I work with children who have profound learning difficulties and I wanted them to get out and experience more social activities with people of their own peer group and I suggested bringing music to Skerne Park. It's been absolutely wonderful, the children have formed really sincere friendships from it."

Now the group has set up its own website at http://www.-communigate.co.uk/ne/amicus/ - and had great fun in the process.

Since the launch of CommuniGate last September, The Northern Echo's free websites for community groups initiative has helped more than 350 charities, residents groups, sports clubs and other non-profit organisations online.

Community web editor Alison Nicholson said: "CommuniGate is ideal for anyone who has not got previous web-authoring experience.

"Its so easy to use, people from six to 60 can produce their own web pages from scratch in under 30 minutes.

"The children from Amicus music project for schools have edited some pages, added to their on site guest book and added a gallery of pictures taken during a recent drama production."

The scheme aims to help non-profit groups raise their profile, promote their own activities and fund-raising projects and contact a wider audience via the Internet.

Groups are able to create up to ten news and information pages, with pictures, add e-mail forwarding, a message board, links page and contact details.

Once online, groups can update or amend their own pages whenever they wish from their own PC at home.

Anyone interested in building a website should visit CommuniGate at www.communigate.co.uk/ne or via www.thisisthenortheast.co.uk or contact Alison Nicholson, community web editor on 01325 505270