Warwick University gives Heart of England Community Foundation helping hand with hackathon.
University campus teams, Warwick Data Science Society and Warwick Statistics Society, have joined forces to host an online Charity Hackathon this weekend to support leading Midlands-based charity, Heart of England Community Foundation. The Hackathon will focus on measuring inequality and deprivation in the Midlands, which will enable participants to use data to dream up tangible and effective solutions. Not only will contestants be putting their own coding to the test through two live competitions, but they will also have the chance to learn from the best, with interactive talks, Q&As and workshops over the weekend.
The data science competitions will both take place entirely online and will see plenty of prizes up for grabs, including wireless headphones and goody bags courtesy of SIG Susquehanna.
The organisers are hoping to help those taking part to learn and build invaluable experience, all whilst helping to make a 
difference to the local area. One of the team, Tim Hargreaves, from Warwick Data Science Society, says: “Our society has always found it important to use data science to give back to the community, and so we couldn’t be more excited to practice what we preach with our Charity Hackathon.
“The work carried out by Heart of England is essential to the communities within our local area, and we are so pleased to be able to support this. Everyone is welcome to join the event, whether you’re completely new to data science or a pro, there will be something for everyone!”
The findings will help Coventry-based Heart of England Community Foundation to continue to support charities and community projects across the West Midlands and Warwickshire, with its range of different grants. The Foundation prides itself on making a difference to the local area by helping to keep vital services available in order to tackle key issues within our communities.
Tina Costello, Chief Executive at Heart of England, comments: “We are so pleased to be chosen as the beneficiaries for this event; the students at the University of Warwick have worked so hard to organise this, and we are so thankful that they have decided to support the Foundation. In the last six months, the Foundation has seen a 187% rise in applications in comparison to last year, and by receiving funding like this we can ensure that we help more of the grassroots organisations in the region.”
To find out more about the Charity Hackathon, visit the Facebook event page.
More information about the Foundation, as well as the other projects that Heart of England Community Foundation supports, is available here.
