News archive: I Want to Help B4RN
March 28th, 2013
Author: Chris Conder
Posted In: Archive News
If you are reading this its probably because you have seen our advertisement in the Lancaster Guardian. We have been lucky enough to win a competition for new businesses and they are giving us a series of adverts, for which we are very grateful and we want to make the most of them.
What are we doing? We’re helping communities build their own world class superfast fibre optic broadband service direct to the parts other providers can’t reach within 21 parishes in rural north Lancashire. Many people are already live on the B4RN service and are now seeing the benefits of one of the world’s fastest connections. Here is a recent speed test taken by one of the customers.
Click on the speedtest to see a live one done by the BBC when they visited Arkholme for the open day.
Thank you for your interest, and if you would like to join us then these are the contact details:
01524 2555887 is our answer phone if you want to volunteer please leave a message and someone will ring you back. We do not have full time staff in the office yet, but willing volunteers are manning the phones and will respond to your questions.
Or email us at info@b4rn.org.uk and we will reply.
B4RN was recently featured extensively on the BBC, if you missed it then you can see the report here.
Currently we are working on the core route between the 8 parishes in our original plan. Some villages have decided they don’t want to wait much longer, and have got together and raised the funding needed to join themselves on to the core, as our first share offer was to fund the core only. Our second share offer is now available and offers a free connection worth £150 for anyone becoming a shareholder of 1500 shares. More details here
We are also extending our coverage to to more parishes on the edges of our network because of demand, so the main network will include 21 parishes now:
| Arkholme with Cawood |
| Burrow with Burrow |
| Cantsfield |
| Littledale part of Caton with Littledate but also including Brookhouse and Caton Green along with some parts of the core of Caton. |
| Claughton |
| Ellel |
| Gressingham |
| Halton with Aughton |
| Hornby with Farleton |
| Ireby |
| Leck |
| Melling with Wrayton |
| Over Wyresdale |
| Quernmore |
| Roeburndale |
| Scotforth |
| Tatham |
| Tunstall |
| Wennington |
| Whittington |
| Wray with Botton |
Another speed test at Arkholme
Every community has people in it who are keen to build the infrastructure to bring our rural area into the digital age. We need those people to gather the volunteers together in each area because they are needed to do the building. It isn’t rocket science, its basically just common sense, laying the duct deep enough to be out of harm’s way in straight lines and level, so we can blow the fibre through it. We have found so far that there are many active people in the villages who help the elderly get the duct to their homes, so you don’t need to worry if you can’t dig it yourself.
We are also looking for more investment, either with loans or shares to reach all the areas and the other villages/hamlets/farms that are on the other routes and to complete the installation of the main core route which was held up in the wet summer last year.
Now is the time to invest in your future, for yourselves and for future generations, either with your muscles, brains or money, or a combination of all three if you are lucky enough to have them…
People digging for their gig, age no barrier! Lots more photos on our flickr album, click on this photo to visit it.
Customer Testimonial
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