Funding Success!

Fibre GarDen, the community broadband company for Gardale and Dentdale is celebrating an award of £157,500 from DEFRA.

The company which is supported by both Parish Councils has been working for two years to secure funding which will enable it to lay fibre optic to every house in both dales. Chairman of the not-for-profit company, Andrew Fleck, said, “This represents 25% of our funding and we expect it to trigger further grants and investment. We have had enormous support from our communities which has enabled us to progress the project with confidence that it is what people want.”

Fibre GarDen has also secured the support of Andy Hudson of Network Rail in an innovative development which will connect the community network to fibres within the national rail infrastructure and thereby connect to the wider internet.

Fibre GarDen expects to offer a service choice of 40mb/s or 100mb/s. The latter would exceed speeds in central London and would place residents and local businesses at the forefront of on-line communication. 

The company aims to start construction in the spring of 2013 and light the fibres for Christmas.