ITC and Prime Minister Gordon Brown Praise the Use of IT

The Information Technologists Company (ITC), the 100th Livery Company of the City of London, was honoured as the charitable beneficiary of the e-Government National Awards dinner on Tuesday 22 January. ITC supports a wide range of not-for-profit organisations helping them to obtain the maximum benefit from their IT resources.

The e-Government National Awards were presented at London’s Dorchester Hotel with ITC’s clerk, Michael Grant as Master of Ceremonies, announced the winners. Among the attendees were senior council members, NHS and voluntary sector leaders as well as Cabinet Office Minister Gillian Merron MP.

Prime Minister the Rt Hon Gordon Brown MP also joined the event via video link in order to congratulate the winners in the 11 categories. In his speech he praised the increasing focus on IT in our everyday lives saying, “The growing use of information technology is an important factor in people’s rising aspiration – and these aspirations don’t get left behind when they use public services.”

He went on to say that as more and more people demand more and more IT the technology is, “Breaking new ground and helping to achieve new goals. It enables us to try things out and, ultimately, to do things differently. “

At the event ITC, as the charitable beneficiary of the dinner, was presented with £1,000. Charles Hughes of ITC accepted the cheque on behalf of the organisation. In his speech he highlighted the work that ITC does to raise the profile of information technology, and how as a Livery Company the charity aspect of the organisation is paramount to promoting the wider use of information technology.

He also highlighted the important work that ITC’s charitable arm, iT4Communities (iT4C) does, matching professional IT volunteers with not-for-profit organisations in need of IT support, and highlighted the need for more volunteers to come forward. As a result of the speech, two local council IT specialists offered their services to iT4C.

Winners at the event included Birmingham County Council, the Fire Services College, the Vehicle and Operator Services Agency, the Samaritans, Ukvisas, Wakefield Metropolitan District Council, Gloucestershire College, Brighton & Hove City Council and many more.