Faster News
The rollout of ultrafast broadband in Herefordshire and Gloucestershire has passed the 34,000 homes and businesses mark, and plans have been expanded to reach more rural properties.
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In the second Pudleston community diary, Zoe, 33 years old mother of two, describes the difficulties she faces trying to study from home with poor broadband.
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A Lechlade church choir helped to sing in the changes as the town, along with Kempsford, became the first in the Cotswolds to benefit from faster fibre broadband through the county's Fastershire project.
The £56.6 million project aims to take the high speed technology to parts of Gloucestershire and Herefordshire not covered by commercial roll-out plans.
The St Lawrence Church Choir created a festive atmosphere to mark the first fibre broadband cabinet to go live in the town. They were joined by Ed Vaizey, the UK Minister for Culture, Communications and Creative Industries and representatives from Gloucestershire County Council and BT.
More cabinets in Lechlade are scheduled to go live in the next couple of weeks, and once the roll-out is completed in the coming months around 1,000 homes and businesses in Lechlade will have access to the technology.
Lechlade and Kempsford follow Coleford and Whitecroft in the Forest of Dean which both went live recently.
Cllr Ray Theodoulou, deputy leader of Gloucestershire County Council and local member for Lechlade, said: "We are now starting to see the results of all the hard work that is being done to give local people and businesses in towns and villages throughout the county the opportunities that faster broadband can bring.
"Faster broadband helps people access services in their community or seek out new markets far away. Business will benefit greatly and all residents in Gloucestershire will benefit through a thriving local economy."
The arrival of fibre broadband in Lechlade was welcomed by Ed Vaizey, who said: "The switching on of super-fast broadband in Lechalde, is great news for both local residents and businesses. Today's announcement is just part of a transformation of broadband services happening throughout the UK. Broadband is an essential part of Gloucestershire's present and future. It is vital that we embrace this latest generation of technology in order for our economy to remain competitive."
Bill Murphy, managing director of next generation networks for BT, added: "This is an exciting time for Gloucestershire. A huge amount of engineering work is going on throughout the county but we are making great strides.
"This project will have a hugely positive impact on rural as well as urban communities in Gloucestershire with fibre broadband providing a whole range of opportunities for households and businesses alike."
With a slow internet connection you can have problems doing more than one thing at a time online. With faster broadband the whole family can be online doing homework, watching iPlayer, keeping in touch with friends on Skype or Facetime and doing the weekly shop all at the same time without any time delay or frozen screen.
Working from home can now be as fast and effective as working from the office. This could save you time and money, as well as helping you to achieve a better work life balance. With faster broadband you could even consider setting up your own business from home as you would have the world class connectivity that could give you the edge.
Store photos, documents, music and videos online in the cloud rather than on the computer at home. Your files will be kept safe and you can access them anywhere. Fast upstream speeds mean backing up files is done in the blink of an eye.
With faster broadband you can download the latest blockbuster before the kettle has boiled or watch your favourite TV show online instantly.
With faster broadband you can study online with flexible hours and video tutorials that work immediately.
New telecare services mean that people who are unwell, have a disability or older people can stay safe and independent at home.
Did you know that you can now access a whole host of council services and information online, such as reporting a pothole, paying your council tax, finding out when your rubbish or recycling will be collected and checking library opening times?
Visit: Do it online in Herefordshire Visit: Do it online in Gloucestershire
Pudleston in north Herefordshire is one of the communities that we be fibre enabled under phase 2 of the Fastershire rollout. Phase 2 will be delivered by Gigaclear and will provide a new full fibre network and access to speeds up to 1000mbps.
In these community diaries the residents of Pudleston will document their experiences throughout the deployment.
To see if your property is included in phase 2 or if you can already access faster broadband, please use the address checker above.
In the second Pudleston community diary, Zoe, 33 years old mother of two, describes the difficulties she faces trying to study from home with poor broadband.
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'Babs' and her family live in Pudleston, Herefordshire, and in this entry discuss moving to Herefordshire and the challenges they face due to slow broadband.
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In this piece, the community introduce their home, Pudleston, located in north Herefordshire and is one of the communities that we be fibre enabled under phase 2 of the Fastershire rollout delivered by Gigaclear.
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The 'Keep Connected' grant is being offered by Herefordshire Council and Fastershire to help groups and organisations in Herefordshire change their approach so that they can continue to deliver their activity, service or support during the Coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak.
Groups and organisations can access a grant up to £500 to fund new software subscriptions, online platforms or technology, such as microphones, headsets, cameras or large screens, and will have access to free expert support to help them set-up and operate the new technology. Community groups, registered charities, Social Enterprises, Community Interest Companies and Parish/Town Councils may apply.
Click here for essential information to read before applying. Click here for an application form. (Please note that applications for Laptops are likely to be refused.)
Community groups looking for non-digital support should contact their local electoral ward link worker. To find out who they are, please email talkcommunitycovidresponse@herefordshire.gov.uk.
Local community organisations, groups, clubs and other not-for-profit organisations in Herefordshire can apply for up to £2,500 funding to arrange internet support and training so that local people can make the most of the benefits of going online.
Click here for further information and an application form or email go-online@fastershire.com
Do you know of a group or club in your community in Herefordshire who would like to find out more about using the internet and the benefits of going online?
Fastershire can arrange for a tutor to bring laptops and tablets to the group’s usual meeting place, or another venue with internet access, to demonstrate how to send emails, search for information about the local area, or shop or pay bills online, and then support them to ‘have a go’ themselves.
To find out more please email go-online@fastershire.com. These free sessions could lead to a longer course for those who are interested in developing their skills at going online.
Learn My Way (www.learnmyway.com) is a website of free online courses for beginners, helping you to develop digital skills to make the most of the online world. It's also got courses and resources to help you inspire people in your community to use the internet and help them improve their digital skills - including a 'How to be a Digital Champion' course.
We also have a whole host of training guides here that you can download for your own learning or to use when training someone else.
There are many organisations across Herefordshire who regularly offer computer courses and support for beginners. Information about just some of the training offered is available here.
For details of the free monthly workshops at Libraries in Herefordshire visit our events page.
Details of beginners' computer courses offered by Adult Education in Gloucestershire are here.
If you would like to be notified about beginners’ computer courses offered by organisations in Herefordshire please register.
Here's a list of home broadband providers who offer packages for homes connected by Fibre to the Cabinet (FTTC) or Fibre to the Premises (FTTP), with links to their web sites, so you can find out if they're up and running where you live.
Click here to view FTTP providers >
Fibre to the premises (FTTP) is one of the world's most cutting edge types of fibre broadband with blistering speeds of up to 330Mbps and 1000Mbps.
If you get enabled with FTTP, you can order it through one of the following Service Providers.
We'll update this page as more ISPs start to offer FTTP.
Location: The Kindle Centre, ASDA Supermarket, Belmont Road, Hereford HR2 7JE
Date: Monday 30th October 2017
Time: 16:00-18:00
FREE Beginners' Guide to the Internet (four week course)
Learn how to send email, search for information, stay safe on the internet, shop online, use social media safely and more, with the help of a friendly and helpful tutor.
We will have computers there for you to ‘have a go’ and discover the wonders of the internet.
Contact: 01432 278 070
The Kindle Centre, ASDA Supermarket, Belmont Road, Hereford HR2 7JE
Below is a list of videos from our YouTube channel.
Get the most out of the internet with FREE training from Fastershire in Ross-on-Wye and Cinderford.
Booking is essential, please call 01432 260026.
No experience is necessary and equipment will be provided if required.
The Larruperz Centre, Grammar School Close, HR9 7QD
How to use your tablet
Wednesday 6 June, 2pm-4pm
How to use the internet
Monday 11 June,10am-12pm
Introduction to email
Friday 22 June, 5pm-7pm
Belle Vue Centre, 6 Belle Vue Road, GL14 2AB
How to use the internet
Tuesday 5 June, 10am-12pm
Introduction to email
Wednesday 13 June, 2pm-4pm
How to use your tablet
Monday 18 June, 5pm-7pm
96,516 Faster homes & 
99
exchange areas 
7,000 km of 
621
cabinets Faster broadband is being rolled out across Herefordshire and Gloucestershire between now but it is not possible to flick a switch to make every area go live on the same day and some areas will go live before this. Register your interest today and we'll let you know when you can order.
Internet Training
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