An after-school training centre which teaches young people how to code has received £10,000 from a major British bank initiative.

GoCode Academy, a Harrow-based community programme, received the substantial matched funding from Santander’s innovative Changemaker Fund.

The academy provides coding clubs and technology camps for the next generation of digital creators between the ages of six to 18.

In addition to the training, the money has allowed GoCode Academy to open a centre to house equipment and host young coders.

Participants will learn to programme, build websites, design games and code, as well as picking up a range of other useful teamwork and problem-solving skills.

The Changemaker Fund is a collaboration between Santander and crowdfunding platform, Crowdfunder, designed to help small enterprises and charities deliver community improvement projects and give more opportunities to disadvantaged people.

Robert Rajeswaran, chief executive officer at GoCode Academy, said: “This funding from Santander has made our dream of offering our programmes to even more students come true. 

“The centre funded is already providing the skills, space and opportunities to hundreds of students in the local area. 

“We will continue to drive the education technology movement forward by opening more centres across the UK. We are very thankful to Santander for their support.”

The managing director of Santander Business Banking, Sue Douthwaite, said computer and coding knowledge will only become more important in the future, adding: “The work GoCode Academy does is essential. 

“We are thrilled to have been able to contribute to the new centre and hope that many new students from all backgrounds can take advantage of the fantastic opportunity provided by the programme and build their technological skills to become digital leaders of the future.” 

The Changemaker Fund is part of Santander’s flagship community programme, The Discovery Project, which aims to inspire people to have confidence in the future through projects that build skills, grow knowledge and support innovation.

For more information visit. www.gocode.academy