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Nestled deep in a Lake District valley and encircled by nine Wainwright fells, the village of Kentmere is about as remote as it gets. With fewer than 70 houses and accessible only by a single winding track, it feels like the end of the road – because it is.
“The road only goes to Kentmere and then finishes – you could say we were well off the beaten track,” says retired teacher Sheila Hirst.
Sheila and husband Stephen moved from Lancaster seven years ago, drawn to the valley during previous walking trips.
“We just fell in love with the area the minute we saw it,” she says. “We can roll out the door, climb mountains with the dog and picnic at the reservoir. We have an idyllic life up here.”
But living in such isolation came with challenges, most notably, patchy and unreliable connectivity.
“We’d always been with [another provider], and the line coming up the valley was a copper line,” says Sheila.
“Occasionally, a lorry would come up the valley and damage the line, which ran through the trees and was extremely vulnerable. Eventually, the company told us they would no longer be repairing it. Plus, we had a lot of trouble with the phone line. A tree was knocking the line out and we had a lot of difficulties with communication.”
However, that all changed when Fibrus brought Full Fibre broadband to the area in January this year.
Bringing Full Fibre to such a remote community was no easy task. With complex terrain, restricted access and little existing infrastructure to build on, delivering connectivity required significant planning, engineering expertise and collaboration with the local community.
Kieran Martin, Operations Director at Viberoptix, Fibrus’ network delivery arm , said: “The Kentmere rollout was one of the most technically challenging locations we’ve worked in. Our teams overcame rugged terrain and narrow access, working closely with local landowners to bring reliable Full Fibre to homes and community spaces. This means residents and visitors now have fast, dependable broadband where it was previously limited or unavailable, making a real difference to their daily lives.”
This work meant the Kentmere valley could access Full Fibre broadband to Cumbria along with the 100,000 homes and businesses that Fibrus has now connected in the county.
This achievement includes premises reached through both Fibrus’ commercial rollout and the UK Government-funded Project Gigabit. Fibrus was awarded an extension to its Project Gigabit contract in January 2025, enabling an additional 21,000 homes in Cumbria to benefit from gigabit-capable broadband.
Once the expanded rollout is complete, and alongside other commercial plans, an estimated 99 per cent of homes and businesses in Cumbria will have access to next-generation broadband – paving the way for a digitally connected future across the region.
Sheila praises the positive impact that Full Fibre has had on her family’s life.
For the Hirsts, the upgrade with its 500Mb connection and VOIP calls hasn’t just meant a dramatic improvement to their phone service, but it has given them peace of mind for their internet connection going forward.
“It’s futureproofing for us,” says Stephen. “In this day and age, having fast, dependable broadband is essential, and it’s brilliant to have a new line that’s so much more reliable.”
Although, installation was no small feat, given the challenging landscape.
She adds: “The nature of the land here means it’s very difficult to dig up anything.”
“Fibrus had to get permission from a nearby farmer to lay a line right down to us. Fortunately, he had no problem with that.
“But this meant Fibrus were going over walls and under walls, and they were amazing, just amazing.”
Crucially, the installation not only improved connectivity for individual homes but also revitalised the heart of the small community. The village hall in Kentmere, which previously had no Wi-Fi for presentations or visiting theatre groups, now benefits from full access thanks to Fibrus extending its service to the premises.
Sheila describes their vibrant social life despite the isolation – “Sheila frequently needs to meet visiting theatre companies at the village hall, but with no signal neither could contact the other if the company got lost or delayed, which often happened. Now wi-fi calling can help.”
Her husband explained the limitations prior to Fibrus’ arrival, “Previously, we couldn’t get any internet at the village hall at all, not even a mobile connection,” says Stephen. “But now thanks to Fibrus’ connection there’s Wi-Fi available in the hall so everyone can remain connected and contactable.”
Sheila frequently organises theatre trips and used to rely on the village hall as a meeting point. “I had to stay at home in case anyone called to say they were lost,” she explains. “There was no way to contact anyone already at the hall, which made things quite difficult.”
This new service has produced benefits for locals and visitors alike. “Importantly,” adds Stephen, “it has enabled us to offer free Wi-Fi, which means that people can use their mobile phones if they’re near the village hall – walkers or people who’ve got lost and need help, but would previously have had no signal.”
“We’re so grateful to Fibrus,” says Sheila. “It’s fabulous being so remote and yet having good internet.”
To receive updates on whether your home can be connected to the Fibrus network, you can check your postcode and register your interest at: https://hyperfastgb.com/