Hyperfast GB and Fibrus are committed to enhancing community development through direct sponsorship. Whether it’s supporting vibrant village halls, dynamic Scout groups, or impactful small community projects, our tailored funding aims to foster local initiatives across the county. This is your chance to make a difference — learn how to apply and join us in our journey of community enrichment.

In the heart of every community in Cumbria lies the untapped potential for growth, connection, and shared success. At Hyperfast GB, powered by Fibrus robust fibre optics infrastructure, we believe in the power of local initiatives to transform these communities. That’s why we’re thrilled to introduce our new community sponsorship programme, a venture aimed at providing tangible support to the grassroots movements that keep the spirit of our counties vibrant and alive.

Empowering Local Heroes: Our Sponsorship Programme
Our commitment goes beyond providing high-speed internet; it extends into the heart of community engagement and support. We understand that local projects, from the cultural beacon of a village hall to the adventurous spirit of Scout groups, form the backbone of community life. These initiatives offer more than activities; they provide a sense of belonging, learning, and growth.
To aid in this noble cause, we’ve established a dedicated sponsorship fund, specifically designed to assist small community projects that are already making waves in their local areas. The beauty of this programme lies in its simplicity and impact: by offering a modest pot of cash, we aim to give these projects the boost they need to expand their reach, enhance their offerings, and enrich the lives of community members.

How Can You Benefit?
Are you involved with a local initiative in need of a helping hand? Whether it’s upgrading facilities, purchasing new equipment, or funding a community event, our sponsorship could be the wind beneath your wings. Applying is straightforward, with a clear focus on projects that show a tangible benefit to the community.
This sponsorship is designed to be inclusive and accessible, reflecting our commitment to fostering diverse and thriving local ecosystems. It’s an invitation to all community champions who are seeking that extra support to propel their projects to new heights.

Spread the Word: A Call to Action
We’re on a mission to spread the word across Cumbria, ensuring that every community has the opportunity to benefit from our programme. But we can’t do it alone — we need your help to reach out to potential applicants and inform them about this chance to enhance their community projects.

The Journey Ahead
This blog marks the beginning of an exciting series where we’ll spotlight the remarkable initiatives that have benefited from our sponsorships. These stories will not only celebrate their successes but also inspire others to take the leap and apply for support.

In conclusion, at Hyperfast GB and Fibrus, we are more than just service providers; we are community builders and local supporters. Our new sponsorship programme reflects our unwavering commitment to the places we serve and the people we empower. We invite you to join us in this journey of community empowerment — because together, we can create a brighter, more connected future for all.

To learn more about the application process and how you can make a
difference in your community, visit our contact page today.

What to Include in Your Application:
• A brief description of your project and its impact on the community.
• How the sponsorship funds will be used and the expected outcomes.
• Your project’s history, goals, and community feedback.

We’re excited to see how your projects will continue to shape the heart of our communities. Stay tuned for our upcoming blogs, where we’ll dive deeper into the stories of those who’ve already made significant strides with our support. Let’s build a stronger, more connected Cumbria together!

Hyperfast GB is the home for information on the progress of our network build contract under Project Gigabit – the UK government’s £5 billion programme enabling hard to reach communities to access full fibre broadband.

Under a £108 million broadband improvement contract for Cumbria, Hyperfast GB will bring lightning-fast gigabit-capable broadband services to almost 60,000 homes and businesses.

Ullswater including Watermillock, Greystoke, Matterdale and Pooley Bridge  is the next area to benefit from the project – we are hosting an information evening for residents:

Thursday 27th June

2 – 3.30pm

5 – 6.30pm

Watermillock Village Hall

BOOK TICKETS HERE:

Hyperfast GB Information Event – Ullswater 2pm Session

Hyperfast GB Information Event – Ullswater 5pm Session

(please contact us in advance if you have mobility issues or dietary requirements as refreshments will be served)

Hyperfast GB is the home for information on the progress of our network build contract under Project Gigabit – the UK government’s £5 billion programme enabling hard to reach communities to access full fibre broadband.

Under a £108 million broadband improvement contract for Cumbria, Hyperfast GB will bring lightning-fast gigabit-capable broadband services to almost 60,000 homes and businesses.

St. Bees is the next area to benefit from the project – we are hosting an information evening for residents:

Tuesday 21st May at 7pm

St. Bees Village Hall – CA27 0BN

BOOK TICKETS HERE:

Hyperfast GB Information Event – St.Bees,  Tue 21st May 2024 at 19:00 | Eventbrite

(please contact us in advance if you have mobility issues or dietary requirements as refreshments will be served)

Welcome to Hyperfast GB – through this newsletter we would like to give you information and updates on our rollout plans for bringing full fibre broadband to rural communities through Project Gigabit.

Project Gigabit investment is revolutionising connectivity in rural areas by extending gigabit-capable full fibre broadband infrastructure to homes and businesses which don’t have access to meaningful broadband services.

See Hyperfast GB – Connecting Rural Communities for more information.

Hyperfast GB postcode checker

We now have a postcode checker live on the Hyperfast GB website, this means that residents can check if their address is included in the Hyperfast GB project. Those with further questions can then use our enquiry form to reach us directly.

Hyperfast GB Network Progress

Over the past 12 months, Hyperfast GB has delivered a full-fibre broadband network to almost 4,000 homes and businesses in rural communities across Cumbria with a further 6,000 connections expected to be ready for service by the end of 2024. Meaning that more businesses can enjoy access to gigabit-capable broadband services and more employees can work from home and raise their families in rural communities; bringing greater vitality and opportunities into the heart of the countryside.

The Rebuild Site

Pictured: Helen, Neil, Libby and Maise from Rebuild

As we build the Hyperfast GB network across Cumbria, we are careful to use our resources wisely and to minimise waste. However, there are instances where we have off-cuts of fibreoptic cable or ducting left over on a reel. We are delighted to be working in partnership with The Rebuild Site, based at Kingmoor Park near Carlisle to repurpose our surplus build materials. The Rebuild Site is a Community Interest Company, set up by Emma Porter in response to the issue of waste from the construction industry. More information is available on their website, https://www.rebuildsite.co.uk/.

Work Experience Opportunities

The Hyperfast GB project is keen to hear from young people between the ages of 16 & 18 who are looking for a week of work experience. As part of our social value commitments, we want to share our skills and experience with young people who are looking for an insight into project management and business administration. We are offering a one-week programme for up to two students at a time at our Newton Rigg base. Anybody with an interest in joining us should make contact on enquire@hyperfastgb.com or via the contact form on our website, www.hyperfastgb.com.

Community Meetings

Over the winter months the Hyperfast GB Stakeholder Engagement Team have been out and about across Cumbria, meeting with communities to let them know what they can expect as we build a new fibreoptic network to their properties. We have met with residents in Warwick Bridge, Flookburgh and Gilsland, as well as speaking to members of the Nation Farmers Union in Penrith, Kendal and Ulverston. We have future meetings planned in Caldbeck, St Bees and Cockermouth. Please keep an eye on the events page of our website for further details, https://hyperfastgb.com/news/.

Understanding the challenges

Building a full fibre broadband network across Cumbria is not without its challenges. Where possible we seek to use existing infrastructure; ducting and poles belonging to Openreach. Before we finalise our build design, we need to ensure that this existing infrastructure is useable, sadly this often means we have to apply for a road closure to access manholes in the carriageway. In these instances we will do all we can to minimise disruption to residents and businesses. You can view all planned road closures across Cumbria on the One Network website here https://one.network/ , this platform has a view for today, next two weeks, next three months and next twelve months.

Fibrus community fund

Hyperfast GB is working alongside Cumbria Community Foundation to deliver £212,000 Fibrus Community Fund to organisations across Cumbria. In the last financial year we allocated £60,000 of funding. Projects have included a new projector for a scout group, funding for cyber security training for a school fundraising group and a digital inclusion session for older adults. Grant awards have typically been around £2000 with 35 applications supported.
The next round of applications is expected to open later this month. More information can be found online here, https://www.cumbriafoundation.org/fund/fibrus-community-fund-cumbria/.

Show schedule 2024

Cumberland Show – Sat 8th June, Warwick on Eden https://www.cumberlandshow.co.uk/

Cockermouth Show – Sat 3rd August, Low Road, Cockermouth https://cockermouthshow.co.uk/

Gilsland Show – Sunday 4th August, Gilsland (booking carried over from last year)

Westmorland County Show – 11th & 12th Sept, Crooklands

Skelton Show – Saturday 6th July, Hutton in the Forrest

Hyperfast GB is the home for information on the progress of our network build contract under Project Gigabit – the UK government’s £5 billion programme enabling hard to reach communities to access full fibre broadband.

Under a £108 million broadband improvement contract for Cumbria, Hyperfast GB will bring lightning-fast gigabit-capable broadband services to almost 60,000 homes and businesses.

Caldbeck is the next area to benefit from the project – we are hosting an information evening for residents:
Tuesday 7th May

CALDBECK PARISH HALL

BOOK TICKETS HERE:

Hyperfast GB Information Event – Cladbeck,  Tue 7th May 2024 at 19:00 | Eventbrite

(please contact us in advance if you have mobility issues or dietary requirements as refreshments will be served)

Welcome to the Spring 2024 edition of our Hyperfast GB Newsletter where you will find the latest updates on our full fibre rollout plans to rural Cumbria through Project Gigabit.

The UK government’s investment is revolutionising connectivity in rural areas by extending gigabit-capable full fibre broadband infrastructure to homes and businesses which don’t have access to meaningful broadband services.

We are delighted with the progress of work throughout rural Cumbria though the UK government’s Project Gigabit.

See Hyperfast GB – Connecting Rural Communities for more information.

Community meetings overview

Photo 1: Gilsland Community Meeting with Guy Opperman MP
Photo 2: Warwick Bridge Community Meeting

We have recently held community meetings in Warwick Bridge and Gilsland to let residents know more about the Hyperfast GB project and what they can expect as new infrastructure is installed in their area, as well as how they will benefit from a full-fibre service to their homes.

The meetings involve a presentation about the project and then an open question and answer session. We use some of these questions to populate our FAQs page.

Hyperfast GB postcode checker

Photo: Hyperfast GB Postcode Checker

We now have a postcode checker live on the Hyperfast GB website, this means that residents can check if their address is included in the Hyperfast GB project. Those with further questions can then use our enquiry form to reach us directly.

Looking after the environment

Photo: Plug planting with Cumbria Wildlife Trust in Kendal

Hyperfast GB is working alongside Cumbria Wildlife Trust to improve the environment for wildlife across Cumbria. We’re planting pollinators for food and trees for habitat, shelter, and shade. We’re also training all our staff and those of our suppliers in carbon literacy with Cumbria Action for Sustainability. We have an ambition to use electric vehicles in our fleet wherever possible and have already reached our year one target of 30% electric vehicles.

Work experience and under-graduate placements

In 2024 we will be offering opportunities for places on a one-week work experience programme for 16 – 18-year-olds, based at our centre at Newton Rigg near Penrith. We are also keen to hear from any undergraduate students who are looking for a work placement over the summer. We’re specifically keen to hear from students with an interest in business administration and / or project management. Please contact us directly via email on enquire@hyperfastgb.com if you know of anybody who might benefit from either of these opportunities.

Hyperfast GB merchandise

Photo: Hyperfast GB Merchandise 2024

In delivering the Hyperfast GB project we are committed to sustainable solutions and reducing our impact on the planet wherever possible. Over the winter we have reviewed the green credentials of the merchandise we have been giving away at shows and events and felt we could do better. We’ve been working with our supplier to improve the sustainability of our products and are looking forward to sharing some new goodies with residents over the summer.

Project updates

We are continuing to make progress and you will see us working in several areas including Gilsland, Flookburgh and Great Broughton over the coming months. The short days and less favourable weather that we encounter over the winter months does of course impact the speed and agility of our deployment and we are looking forward to the increase in deployment that the arrival of spring will herald.

Stakeholder engagement

Photo: RSPB Geltsdale

Cumbria boasts vast swathes of highly protected landscape and we’re keen to keep it that way; preserving heritage and the environment as we install new infrastructure to enable residents to enjoy modern communications in their homes and businesses. This means that we work hard on early engagement with stakeholders and land managers to understand the opportunities and challenges of their environment. Earlier this year we were pleased to meet with the new site manager at RSPB Geltsdale to understand how our proposals to deliver full-fibre to properties on the reserve could potentially impact on the special qualities of the landscape and discuss solutions to mitigate that impact.

Community project sponsorship

Photo: Plumpton School Tables

Hyperfast GB has a small grant fund to support community projects and events in areas where we are building our network. Throughout 2023 we have been proud to support Plumpton School in the purchase of new tables for their dining hall, 1st Hensingham Scouts, Branthwaite Scouts, 2nd Seascale Scouts, (purchasing activity equipment) Great Corby Village Hall, Little Clifton Village Hall, Flookburgh Village Hall (refurbishment projects) and Oxenholme Pony Club Gymkhana sponsorship.

List of shows attending 2024

Photo: Hyperfast GB at Westmorland County Show 2023

Cumberland Show – Sat 8th June, Warwick on Eden https://www.cumberlandshow.co.uk/

Cockermouth Show – Sat 3rd August, Low Road, Cockermouth https://cockermouthshow.co.uk/

Gilsland Show – Sunday 4th August, Gilsland

Westmorland County Show – 11th & 12th Sept, Crooklands

Skelton Show – Saturday 6th July, Hutton in the Forrest

Hyperfast GB is the home for information on the progress of our network build contract under Project Gigabit – the UK government’s £5 billion programme enabling hard to reach communities to access full fibre broadband.

Under a £108 million broadband improvement contract for Cumbria, Hyperfast GB will bring lightning-fast gigabit-capable broadband services to almost 60,000 homes and businesses.

Flookburgh is the next area to benefit from the project – we are hosting an information evening for residents:
Wednesday 20th March

FLOOKBURGH VILLAGE HALL, FLOOKBURGH, ENGLAND, LA11 7JX

BOOK TICKETS HERE:

Hyperfast GB Information Event – Flook,  Wed 20 March 2024 at 19:00 | Eventbrite

(please contact us in advance if you have mobility issues or dietary requirements as refreshments will be served)

Hyperfast GB is bringing full fibre broadband to the hardest to reach premises in rural Cumbria!

Hyperfast GB is the home for information on the progress of our network build contract under Project Gigabit – the UK government’s £5 billion programme enabling hard to reach communities to access full fibre broadband.

Under a £108 million broadband improvement contract for Cumbria, Hyperfast GB will bring lightning-fast gigabit-capable broadband services to almost 60,000 homes and businesses.

Gilsland is the next area to benefit from the project – we are hosting an information evening for residents:
Friday 16th February

Gilsland Village Hall, Gilsland, Northumberland, CA8 7NE

BOOK TICKETS HERE:

Hyperfast GB Information Event – Gilsland ,  Fri 16 Feb 2024 at 19:00 | Eventbrite

(please contact us in advance if you have mobility issues or dietary requirements as refreshments will be served)

Conservation work to support Cumbria's bees and other pollinators is being helped by a partnership between Cumbria Wildlife Trust and Fibrus broadband.

The full-fibre broadband company is supporting the work of Cumbria Wildlife Trust with a £150,000 contribution as part of one of their environmental initiatives in the county.

The work will mean that by 2025, through working with local communities and landowners, the partnership will have helped create or restore 15 valuable sites for pollinators, ensuring that they’re managed correctly and continue to be wildlife havens long into the future.

During the two-year project, Cumbria Wildlife Trust will also run community planting days, as well as pollinator identification and training sessions. In addition, 1,500 packs of native Cumbrian wildflower seeds will be given out across the county.

The first community planting day has already taken place at Town View Fields in Kendal, where 20 volunteers joined in with planting 1,200 plugs.

One of the volunteers, Liz Wright, has lived locally for 37 years and enjoyed getting involved. “We’re hoping to get a wildflower meadow and attract more insects into the area. It’s also a good way to get to know people in the area and a nice project for us to get involved with,” she said.

Rachel Bain, environmental and sustainability specialist for Fibrus, said: “At Fibrus, we take our responsibilities to the environment very seriously.  By providing hyperfast broadband we are reducing commuting, enabling local enterprises to develop and thrive, increasing access to education and essential services, and driving sustainable changes in the way people connect, work, live and play.

“Fibrus is committed to ensuring we have environmental sustainability at the core of our business. We are excited to be supporting Cumbria Wildlife Trust with delivery of this pollinator project which will restore valuable habitats, improve the natural environment and help in the fight against climate change. As well as engaging with the local community to support their pollinator journey’’

“In Cumbria Wildlife Trust, we have the ideal partner and we look forward to working closely with them over the coming years.”

With plans to invest a staggering £700 million, Fibrus remains focused on bringing full fibre broadband to homes and businesses in remote UK towns and villages that need it most. Last year, the UK government awarded Fibrus a £108 million contract to provide up to 60,000 rural premises across Cumbria with access to next generation connectivity. This investment forms part of Project Gigabit, the UK government’s £5 billion programme to enable hard-to-reach communities across the country to access lightning-fast gigabit-capable broadband.

 

Tanya St.Pierre, Grassland and Pollinator Team Manager at Cumbria Wildlife Trust said: “Flower-rich grasslands were once common. Over the last 50 years the UK has lost 97 per cent of lowland meadows, partly through agricultural intensification, and only one per cent of our upland hay meadows remain. Meadows are valued for the plants they support which in turn provide habitats for a range of animal species, including brown hare, moss carder bee, marsh fritillary butterfly, curlew and lapwing.”

Tanya St.Pierre, continued: “Wildflower-rich grasslands are one of the best habitats for pollinators. They contain native plant species, which we know support a greater abundance and diversity of bees, butterflies and other pollinators, compared to non-native plants.

“Whatever the size and wherever the location, we love working with local communities and farmers in Cumbria, to create and restore wildflower-rich grasslands which directly help the pollinating species that depend on them. It’s a real bonus that our work not only benefits wildlife but brings these thriving habitats right into the heart of our communities for people to enjoy.”

Hyperfast GB is bringing full fibre broadband to the hardest to reach premises in rural Cumbria!

Hyperfast GB is the home for information on the progress of our network build contract under Project Gigabit – the UK government’s £5 billion programme enabling hard to reach communities to access full fibre broadband.

Under a £108 million broadband improvement contract for Cumbria, Hyperfast GB will bring lightning-fast gigabit-capable broadband services to almost 60,000 homes and businesses.

Warkwick Bridge is the next area to benefit from the project – we are hosting an information evening for residents:
Wednesday 7th February

Wetheral Village Community Hall, Cumwhinton Road, Wetheral, England, CA4 8HE

BOOK TICKETS HERE:

Hyperfast GB Information Event – Warkwick Bridge,  Wed 7 Feb 2024 at 19:00 | Eventbrite

(please contact us in advance if you have mobility issues or dietary requirements as refreshments will be served)