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 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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The grant has been created by the Herefordshire Council’s Fastershire Broadband Project, and is available to any not-for-profit groups or organisations, including charities, community groups and Parish/town councils.
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As many more of us now need to work or run a business from home at this difficult time, and we’re working to make sure you’ve got the broadband connection you need.
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Fastershire and Worcester-based broadband network supplier, Airband, have reached the 1000 premises milestone under their rollout of fibre broadband in Herefordshire.
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Over 90% of Herefordshire homes and businesses can access superfast broadband and speeds of 30mpbs or above according to new figures released by ThinkBroadband, the UK’s largest independent broadband information website.
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Businesses at the Churcham Business Park can now benefit from faster broadband thanks to a grant from Fastershire. Part funded by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF), the grant provides up to 100% of the capital installation cost, up to £25,000.
Read Full StoryWay2Go Adventures is a family owned outdoor activity provider in the Forest of Dean and Wye Valley.
Started by mother and son team, Dianne Worrall and Wayne Morgan in 2010, Way2Go Adventures run trips and activities across Gloucestershire, Herefordshire and South Wales.
Dianne has accessed a range of business support and training offered by Fastershire, FasterBusiness programme.
Why did you start Way2Go Adventures?
I’d been working as a bookkeeper for a number of years and I was starting to think about the future and a change of direction. Around the same time, my son Wayne, who had been working as outdoor recreation instructor for some large companies and had a great deal of experience was considering breaking away and starting his own business.
We both share a love of the outdoors and we both brought different elements to the table, Wanye with his knowledge of the industry and skill as an instructor and with my knowledge of running a business and bookkeeping, it seemed obvious to go into business together.
What FasterBusiness support have you accessed?
I first began attending the FasterWomen training back in 2015 - these sessions were superb.
FasterWomen training provide practical, hands-on training sessions aimed at helping women in business and were ideal for me. I learnt a huge amount and because they’re practical, at the end of each session you leave with something tangible, like a new social media platform and posting plan. The small groups meant we had lots of individual support from the instructor.
What have you gained from the FasterBusiness support?
It’s helped a great deal. I’ve received training about online marketing, cloud accounting, social media strategy. We developed an email marketing campaign and started using mailchimp following one of the FasterWomen workshops. I’ve also had a one-to-one Business Review with Ben Kinnaird.
Sometimes it can feel like there aren’t enough hours in the day - maintaining a website, writing blogs and creating content for what seems like an ever increasing number social media platforms on top of actually running a business. But the support offered through Fastershire allows SMEs like us to regularly tap into expert knowledge, to keep informed about new developments and then decide what will work best for us and importantly, how best to use it. This support has certainly improved my digital skills and increased my knowledge and confidence.
What does the future hold for you and Way2Go Adventures?
I’ve recently qualified as a yoga teacher and I now run yoga classes, as well as Stand Up Paddleboard (SUP) Yoga and SUPfit instructor.
We’re looking to expand this side of the business and create a separate brand where I’ll take more of an active role in the delivery. I’m currently building a new website separate from Way2Go Adventure using the knowledge I gained after attending the FasterWomen two day Wordpress masterclass.
You can find more about Dianne’s business at www.way2goadventures.co.uk.
For more information about the training and support provided by
FasterBusiness, please click here.
The 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, Rotherwas, Hereford, HR2 7JS
Date: Friday 26th May 2017
Time: 12:00-14:00
Learn how to maximise Microsoft Office 365 for your business.
Whether you’re just starting, or looking to improve your skills, our FREE Faster Business training will help you.
Faster Business advisor, Richard Evans, will explain how Office 365 links with other Office programs and look into some of the lessor known applications such as Sharepoint, Exchange and Teams.
Networking Lunch
A complimentary lunch and refreshments will be provided for all attendees as well as a time to network.
To register to attend this workshop, please click here.
Hereford Business Solutions Centre, Coldnose Road, Rotherwas, Hereford, HR2 7JS
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
