A CHARITY has gone on line with the help of the BT Community Connections award.

The Consett-based Community Enterprise Direct was awarded an NEC Internet-ready PC and 12 months connection to BT Yahoo as part of the BT scheme.

In addition, Microsoft Office software is included as part of the winning package.

The scheme, now in its third year, has awarded 3,400 awards to a diverse range of groups throughout the country.

The scheme has enabled groups to access a wealth of information and communicate via the Internet.

Community Enterprise Direct was among hundreds who entered from the North-East region and impressed judges with its ideas on how an Internet-ready PC would benefit the community.

The charity intends to make the PC and Internet available to groups and individuals who need to research legal, business, funding and community information.

It will also be used for preparing funding applications, business letters and documents and promotional and marketing material.

The charity is based at Unit 30, Consett Business Park, Villa Real, Consett, and can be contacted at (01207) 500053.