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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Business Stories
Way2Go Adventures is a family owned outdoor activity provider in the Forest of Dean and Wye Valley, run by mother and son team, Dianne Worrall and Wayne Morgan. Dianne has accessed a range of business support and training offered by Fastershire, FasterBusiness programme.
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The Green Dragon Pub in Cowley has become the best connected pub in the UK, with visitors able to download a full length HD film quicker than the time it takes to pull a pint of Guinness.
The pub is the very first business to go live under the Fastershire Phase 2 broadband scheme, delivered in partnership between Gigaclear and Gloucestershire County Council. This marks the start of Gigaclear’s ultrafast pure fibre broadband service coming to thousands of homes and businesses in rural Gloucestershire.
The fastest Internet speeds ever witnessed in the county were recorded today as local residents and members of Gloucestershire County Council gathered to test out Gigaclear’s new Fibre-to-the-Premises technology. Broadband speeds of up to 950 Mbps upload and 950 Mbps download were achieved, with the switch on meaning that staff, customers and guests were able to download a TV episode in 36 seconds, nearly 15 minutes faster than before.
Gigaclear’s ultrafast Internet speeds, which are up to 30 times faster than the UK average, are available as a result of a £7 million investment from Gigaclear and £3m national funding from BDUK and Gloucestershire County Council. Fastershire was the first project in the country to appoint an Internet service provider other than BT, under the government subsidised scheme.
The rollout will now continue, with residents in Coberley, Upper Coberley, Cockleford, Colesbourne, Cowley, Elkstone, Seven Springs and Stockwell, set to have access to Gigaclear’s ultrafast Internet service before Christmas. The full rollout schedule to 2017 is available from www.fastershire.com/phase2.
Simon Haly who, with his wife Nicky, manages the Green Dragon Inn said: "We never expected to get anything like this so quickly, especially as we're right in the middle of the countryside. Historically we've hardly had any speed at all; it has been like dial-up! So to go from that to this level of record-breaking speed is incredible.
"It's going to have a big impact on our business too. For instance, around 10-20% of our trade is business-related; we've nine guest rooms and two function rooms. Being able to better serve this community is really important. In fact we had a big business customer say that they'd no longer be able to use us for their meetings if our broadband didn't improve - and that was a year's worth of bookings. So this development today is fantastic news."
In June, Gloucestershire County Council appointed Gigaclear as delivery partner for Fastershire’s phase 2 broadband roll out. The Internet service provider will give 6,500 homes and businesses in the Cotswolds access to broadband speeds of up to 1Gbps.
Matthew Hare, Chief Executive at Gigaclear, said: “This is an extremely exciting time for Gigaclear and for the residents and businesses of the Cotswolds. Providing the Green Dragon Inn with access to the UK’s fastest broadband will make it an even more appealing venue for accommodation, events and socialising. Those coming in for business lunches and meetings can check their emails without having to go back to the office. For local residents, it means they can Skype a friend across the world, download an HD film and do their Christmas shopping online, all at ultrafast speeds without any buffering whatsoever. All in the comfort of this fantastic local pub. We are working hard to get more customers connected before Christmas.”
Cllr Mark Hawthorne, leader of Gloucestershire County Council, said: “Fastershire’s partnership with Gigaclear is producing ultrafast results just eight weeks after the first digging began, and I’m looking forward to how local residents and businesses like the Green Dragon take advantage of the benefits of enhanced broadband.”
Geoffrey Robert Clifton-Brown, Member of Parliament for The Cotswolds, said: “It is brilliant news that the first ultrafast broadband cabinet under the new Fastershire and Gigaclear partnership is being launched. I welcomed this partnership when it was announced, having campaigned during the General Election on the issue of broadband connectivity in The Cotswolds, which is absolutely essential is the modern world. I look forward to many more announcements of this kind.”
Way2Go Adventures is a family owned outdoor activity provider in the Forest of Dean and Wye Valley, run by mother and son team, Dianne Worrall and Wayne Morgan. Dianne has accessed a range of business support and training offered by Fastershire, FasterBusiness programme.
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Louise Roberts runs Alimenti Food Sciences and offers technical consultancy to small food and drink businesses. Louise has attended a range of FasterBusiness training sessions and had a one-to-one Business Review with FasterBusiness advisor, Jack McCaughtrie.
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Claire Howlett runs Wicton Farm, an organic dairy farm in the heart of the Herefordshire countryside, with her brother following the retirement of their parents three years ago. Claire returned to Herefordshire to run the family farm after previously working in Tanzania, Senegal and Cambodia for an international volunteering organisation.
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Dawn McMullan-Cooper is a specialist speech and language therapist and regional makaton sign language tutor for Gloucestershire. Dawn shares her journey with social media & Faster Business since starting her business in 2015.
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Linda Pitcher is an artist who creates commissioned pet portraits; each individually presented in Linda’s handcrafted frames. Linda and her family moved to Herefordshire in 2015 and soon after, prompted by family health problems, she decided to make a change.
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Tina Hurley owns Aloe 2 Good Life and is an independent distributor of Forever Living, selling a range of health and nutrition products. She also trains and supports people who want to run their own home-based business.
Read Full StoryThe Faster Business Review is a free consultancy session with one of our specialist Faster Business Advisors and is available to any business in Herefordshire and Gloucestershire.
This session is completely tailored to your business and can cover any topic, including, social media, online marketing, websites, e-commerce, data/online security, software and hardware or you can seek expert advice on any area you feel would most benefit your business.
Whether your business is a start-up and a small or medium sized business looking to grow, the Faster Business Review can help.
To request a business review please complete the registration form at the bottom of the page and one of our business advisors will contact you to arrange your free face to face review.
Please note: Business Reviews will be delivered via video or telephone call during the Coronavirus COVID-19 period
Meet with a Faster Business Advisor
Faster Business Action Plan
Faster Business Voucher & Exclusive Offers
With your action plan you will receive £100 worth of Fastershire Vouchers to help you deliver one of the actions. To claim your Faster Business voucher, please click here. These vouchers can be redeemed to pay for software subscriptions, online marketing or even a professional's time. As a Faster Business you will also have access to a range of exclusive offers from local businesses.
Cost: Free
Location: Your premises (or as arranged)
Discussion topics: Troubleshooting, social media, connectivity, software, hardware but you can drill down into any particular area you feel would most benefit your business.
Duration: The discussion can last anything between a couple of hours and half a day.
Location: Hereford Business Solutions Centre, Coldnose Road, Hereford HR2 6JS
Date: Wednesday 14th March 2018
Time: 12:00-14:00
The Fastershire Broadband Project has joined with the Herefordshire & Worcestershire Chamber of Commerce to highlight broadband access for local businesses across Herefordshire.
Broadband Delivery Panel and Q&A
Sophia Haywood, Policy Manager at Herefordshire & Worcestershire Chamber of Commerce and Matt Smith, Operations Manager for Fastershire will lead a panel that will outline:
Exhibition
This event will also provide you with the opportunity to connect with the suppliers who have delivered or will be delivering better broadband access across the county, as well as a variety of internet service providers and key connectivity organisations.
To see if your business can already access faster broadband or where your premise sits in Fastershire’s plans, please use the address checker function at the top if this page.
To Register
The session will begin promptly at 12pm with a networking lunch, proceeded by presentations and an Q&A. Please confirm your attendance and any dietary requirements to Daisie Rees-Evans at daisier@hwchamber.co.uk.
Hereford Business Solutions Centre, Coldnose Road, Hereford HR2 6JS
Fastershire in partnership with Connecting Shropshire and Superfast Telford and part funded by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF), have designed the Marches and Gloucestershire Broadband Grant.
Here's a list of business broadband providers who offer packages for businesses 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 1000Mpbs.
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.
Below is a list of videos from our YouTube channel.
Thanks to funding from the Government Equalities Office we have now run two Faster Women projects to support Herefordshire and Gloucestershire women to develop the digital and internet skills required to setup and develop their businesses. The second project ended in April 2016. We are now offering occasional workshops throughout the year.
Please register your interest through the link below if you would like to be notified when Faster Women workshop dates are confirmed.
If you are part of a local business network organisation that would be interested in providing workshops and training to your members and others please email faster-women@fastershire.com.
Faster broadband provides an opportunity for businesses and potential entrepreneurs to take advantage of faster speeds to expand current or set-up new businesses, including home-based businesses, however the Women’s Business Council has found that for women in particular increasing digital confidence and internet know-how is key to this. Thanks to funding from the Government Equalities Office, Fastershire provided Faster Women networking opportunities, workshops and training for women to take advantage of how the internet can boost new and existing businesses.
Upcoming Workshops
Click here for our Fastershire events page, which includes details of any Faster Women workshops...
Faster Women Stories
"I've learnt new ways of doing things and how to use my time much more effectively so I can focus more on working with my clients than running the day-to-day elements of my business."
Are you a successful business woman working in Herefordshire or Gloucestershire who would like to share how you’ve used the internet to effectively develop a business? Do you make the most of the benefits that using the internet can bring whether it’s marketing through social media, online selling, maintaining a website, cloud computing, running a business from home?
If you’d like to help shape future projects by sharing your own knowledge and experience of successfully using digital technology please get in touch.
Free business support for farming, agricultural and land-based businesses in the Herefordshire and Gloucestershire.
The Fastershire broadband project and the Herefordshire Rural Hub have come together to create our Faster Farmers project, offering:
Faster Farmers WorkshopsFaster Farmers offers free training and advice to help farmers exploit new digital technology and methods of working to expand and grow their business. Please visit the events section for details of Faster Farmers workshops, and workshops available to all businesses.
Tailored One-to-One AdviceFor tailored one-to-one advice about your business's use of IT and the internet, covering topics such as new software, hardware, social media, online marketing, websites and more, Farming businesses can also request a free Faster Business Review.
Request a FasterBusiness Review
Contact for Faster Farmers
For any other information about Faster Farmers, please contact us.
The Fastershire broadband project and the Hereford Business Improvement District (HBID) have teamed up to create the Faster City project.
The Faster City project has developed a WiFi city centre scheme in Hereford that delivers three elements:
Hereford boasts the largest retail offer in the county with many of Herefordshire’s key retail and tourism businesses located in a highly concentrated area.
The Faster City project will enhance the shopping experience for consumers and help city centre retailers to understand and exploit the changing market trends
The scheme will also pave the way for other innovations including smart infrastructure including an upgraded CCTV circuit and interactive signage.
Faster City launches free WiFi network in Hereford City Centre.
To read the full story, please click here.
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.
Faster Women
Faster Farms
Faster City
