The first Stockport Hackathon, sponsored by CDL, generated a plethora of winning ideas designed to get the people of Stockport connected.
Eleven teams converged on Fred Perry House for the Stockport Hackathon challenge to help people in the Borough connect with their wider community and enrich their lives and social wellbeing.
The twelve hour event attracted over fifty would-be-techies with many different skills and interests, some in pre-formed teams and others joining up for the first time on the day.
At the end of the session, all participants presented their ideas in front of their peers and the panel of judges.
Councillor Kate Butler, Executive Member for Economy and Regeneration at Stockport Council, who was one of the judges at the event, said:
“The breadth of ideas which emerged was truly incredible. All the participants worked enthusiastically and tirelessly to create some visionary new solutions. It’s impressive to see so many talented individuals freely giving their time and pooling their skills and creativity for the good of the community as a whole.”
Tom McConnell, from Stockport insurance software house CDL who sponsored the event, commented:
“It was great to sponsor an event in Stockport which not only helps promote the local area but attracts great talent. CDL is proud to be involved and support the council in any future hackathons and were delighted to participate on the day.”
The other judges were Adam Cooper from Government Digital Service, Kirsty Tidmarsh from Department of Work and Pensions and Steve Skelton, Head of Stockport Council’s Digital by Design programme.
“Fluffy Unicorns”, the winning team, created ‘VoStock’ a volunteering app to help build stronger communities and create a tighter bond between people in Stockport. Team members were: Dragos Chivulescu, Raluca Cruceru, Alexandra Misca and Simona Paulescu.
In second place came “Don Jones Society” with an interactive calendar, tailored to the user’s interests and offering users a chatroom to ask questions directly of event organisers. Team members were: Jessica De Sousa, Zoe Dunn and Emily Storer.
In third place were “Beginners Luck”, a team competing in a hackathon event for the very first time, who came up with the #CleanStockport concept – a web-based interface designed to help the local environment, bring the community together and provide income for underemployed people. Team members were: Jack Leigh, Jonathan Cowling, Tom Ridgeway and Lesna Shamloll.
View the video of the event at: https://play.buto.tv/C8vMC
Stockport Hackathon was one of a series of events aimed at encouraging the use of digital technology which was organised by Stockport Council to celebrate the launch of its new website and online services.
These have included fun digital activities and learning opportunities across Stockport and events aimed at engaging with the digital community.
If you would like to be kept informed about future events taking place, sign up for the Stockport Review EXTRA
Image 3: Stockport Hackathon challenge to connect people.
Image 4: Stockport Hackathon teams at work.