# Rural community organisation wins £10,000 in e-commerce awards

- Link: https://fundraising.co.uk/2003/10/08/rural-community-organisation-wins-10000-ecommerce-awards/
- Published: 2003-10-08T23:00:00+01:00
- Author: Howard Lake

**A rural community charity based in Penrith, Cumbria has won the national award
in the Voluntary & Community category of the DTI-backed InterForum E-Commerce Awards.**

The Pentalk Network beat 343 entries in the category, which is sponsored by the 
Home Office’s Active Community Unit.

Originally established during the foot and mouth crisis, The Pentalk Network provides
free [computers and agency training](https://www.whitehat-seo.co.uk/digital-marketing-agency-london)
to promote computer literacy and business adaptation to the local farming community,
to encourage the business recovery of the agricultural farm sector. Funding from
the DfES, the Rural Recovery and Farmers Fund has enabled the organisation to evolve
into a resource used by farmers from as far away as Zimbabwe and the Falkland Islands
with maps, information, weather reports and information about integrating e-commerce
into their own business.

## Advertisement

## £8,000 prize

The Pentalk Network was presented with a cheque for £8,000 by Stephen Timms, the
Minister of State for Energy, E-Commerce and Postal Services at an awards ceremony
was held yesterday at the Grosvenor House Hotel in London.

The Pentalk Network had already received a cheque for £2,000 at the North West final
sponsored by Digital Industries, beating a record number of 567 entries in the region.

The overall national winner of the E-Commerce Awards 2003 and recipient of the grand
prize of £30,000 was [Response Maintenance and Building Services](http://www.response-maintenance.co.uk),
a building and repair service that has improved job management and building supply
delivery by creating a mobile workforce.

The E-Commerce Awards are open to any organisation with less than 250 employees 
and recognise and reward innovation in the application of Internet and information
and communication technologies to transform small businesses in the UK.
 

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