Fibre Heroes and Fastershire bring ultrafast internet to over 500 rural properties
FullFibre’s Fibre Heroes are working with the Fastershire Project and the Kempley Community Scheme to bring full fibre internet to properties in Herefordshire and Gloucestershire.
Fibre Heroes and Fastershire bring ultrafast internet to over 500 rural properties
FullFibre’s Fibre Heroes are working with the Fastershire Project and the Kempley Community Scheme to bring full fibre internet to properties in Herefordshire and Gloucestershire.
The Fastershire Broadband Project is a partnership between Herefordshire Council and Gloucestershire County Council that is designed to bring full fibre broadband to homes and businesses across the two counties. Specifically, it is designed to upgrade infrastructure in deep rural areas that are hard to reach, bringing them ultrafast internet.
These are extremely exciting projects for the region. The first properties to benefit are in Tretire and Three Ashes, which are part of the 12km Western extension from Ross to St Weonards. These sites are now partially live, with all Fastershire Funded Premises due to be live by the end of August.
The second part of the deep rural projects, the Kempley Community Scheme, reaches to Kempley and beyond, straddling the Herefordshire and Gloucestershire Border 10km from Ross-on-Wye. Here, the build has started and is due to be completed by March next year (2024).
Matt Smith, Head of Public Procurement and Engagement at network builder Fibre Heroes, comments, “We’re really pleased to be rolling out these projects with Fastershire and this is exactly what our business is set up to do: to bring fibre to the premises, or FTTP, connections for homes and businesses in remote areas and help level the UK digital landscape”.
Councillor Peter Stoddart, representing Herefordshire Council, stated, “This project will transform broadband for households and businesses in currently underserved areas, and it’s down to the collaborative efforts between Herefordshire Council and Gloucestershire County Council that this transformation is able to take place. This is testament to what we can do at a local level, for the benefit of local communities”.
Cllr Mark Hawthorne, Leader at Gloucestershire County Council added, “One of our key levelling up priorities for Gloucestershire is tackling the digital exclusion that rural communities often suffer from. The Fastershire Community Grant Scheme is directly addressing this by giving communities access to high-speed broadband, transforming their ability to utilise digital opportunities such as work, education and making social connections.”
Martin Brocklehurst Chair Kempley Parish Council, who has coordinated this community programme locally said “We are delighted that by working with Fastershire and FullFibre we are able to complete the roll out of full fibre broadband to the Kempley Parish. It has been a long journey that started in 2013 when our community set out to achieve substantial investment in our communication infrastructure.
“This will be our third and largest community-based scheme, and will deliver our vision to be one of the best internet connected villages in Gloucestershire. This time we have also been able to work with outlying communities in the parishes of Upton Bishop, Yatton, Much Marcle, and Dymock to really show that when communities work together so much can be achieved.
“Full fibre broadband is critical to our future as more and more services go online. It means we are able to support nearly 40 businesses in our area, including local farms as they use new automated management and reporting systems and attract young entrepreneurs to live and work in our beautiful community, at the heart of the Golden Triangle”.