Reading Room has received a special commendation at this year's Big Chip Awards.
01/06/2006 - London
Reading Room has received a special commendation at this year's Big Chip Awards.
The accolade was accepted at a glittering ceremony on Thursday 24 May at New Century Hall, Manchester. This prestigious event, now in its 8th year, was attended by over 500 industry peers from across the North West, attracting sponsorship from Microsoft and Yahoo.
The special commendation was awarded to Reading Room for partnering with West Bank Heritage Project to create a website which celebrates the photographic history of West Bank, Widnes - www.westbankheritage.org.uk
The heart of the site is the Gallery; a rich collection of almost one thousand images which capture West Bank in its heyday, from the late nineteenth through to the mid-to-late twentieth century, when trade and industry prospered and life in the community flourished.
Developed with simple usability and intuitive information architecture it attracts a broad audience of all ages and levels of internet experience visiting the site for an enjoyable user experience. With over 2,000 visitors per month this effective site has generated interest worldwide
Reading Room created a design, which enhances the community feel of the project and is sympathetic to the historical content. Interactivity includes a Map and historical Timeline which provides overviews of life in West Bank over the years, in an informative and creative manner.
The project also included the development of a robust Content Management System, enabling West Bank Heritage Project to easily add new images to the collection as it continues to grow.
John Yates, Project Co-ordinator, West Bank Heritage Project
"Reading Room listened to our requirements and produced a proposal which exactly met our needs. They took our embryo ideas and created a wonderful website, on time, with the minimum of fuss and met all the project target times. The website has exceeded all our expectations, and our image gallery have been accessed over 1.4 million times from all over the world.
The site has proved a huge success with local school children as a reference tool for their history lessons. It has also increased international interest in the community and the project team are now receiving photographs submitted from as far away as Australia".
Margaret Manning CEO of Reading Room
"The Big Chip Awards always offer fierce competition so we are delighted to receive this special commendation. Engaging with this local community heritage initiative made West Bank a very rewarding project. This is a fantastic result for the team at West Bank and for Reading Room to have our achievements recognised in this way".
Chair of Manchester Digital, Shaun Fensom
"This year the standard of entries was exceptional. The digital industry in Greater Manchester is thriving".
