FOLLOWING THE ROARING success of Moray’s first ‘Code Club’ having been set up at the Elgin Library, a second club is to be formed at Lossiemouth Library.

Code Clubs are for children between the ages of nine and 11 with the Lossiemouth club set to meet every Thursday afternoon during the school holidays.

The clubs began earlier this year with every local authority library service in Scotland introducing them. Library staff were trained in the basics of two computer coding languages – Scratch and Python.

The clubs were introduced by the Scottish Library and Information Council (SLIC) for whom a spokesman said: “Delivering Code Clubs in public libraries throughout Scotland has established SLIC as a key provider of coding skills instruction for young people across Scotland.

“Library staff have also developed new skills – enhancing both performance and confidence in supporting digital skills development. For young people, it is a chance to learn in an inclusive and friendly environment where all are welcome. This in turn increases self-esteem and ultimately employability.

“Young people participating in the code clubs will complete a short survey at the beginning and end of the 12-week programme in order to gauge its impact on their perceptions of the computer science/digital technologies sector.”

A spokeswoman for Moray Libraries told insideMoray: “The sessions are aimed at complete beginners where young people will learn how to complete projects by using easy to follow step-by-step guides which help them learn Scratch.

“The projects gradually introduce coding concepts to allow children to build their knowledge incrementally, meaning there’s also no need to be a computing expert!”

Sessions are free but must be booked in advance, so book your place soon by phoning Elgin Library on 01343 562603 or Lossiemouth Library on 01343 813334.