October 2016 update

Residents of our three parishes are now starting to see the installation of our broadband network. On the 30th August 800m of work was done in fields which have now been ploughed and seeded with grass at Old Hutton. Because the route here is very close to the electronics cabinet to be sited behind Old Hutton Public Hall and to houses, the 800m actually involved the laying of 1.2Km of trunk duct and 300m of service duct. Before that date some chambers were constructed where duct will be joined, and ducts were put in under walls and hedges. We have also prepared the route for several more kilometres of duct to be installed in fields which will be ploughed for arable crops before the end of September. This work could not have been done without the help of ten volunteers and a mini-digger and driver. As we now have many miles of route agreed with landowners this sort of work will continue for at least a year. Volunteers will always be needed so please do look out for email notices asking for your help. The days when duct is actually being laid will depend on the availability of the contractor; discussions are continuing about this.

We are now about to move on to another phase of our project. A public meeting has been arranged in the public hall in each parish to introduce it. They will start at 7.30pm on the following dates:

• Preston Patrick – Wednesday 21st September 
• Old Hutton – Tuesday 27th September 
• New Hutton – Thursday 29th (or Wed 28th) September 

Briefly, the agenda is:

• A short summary of where the project is up to 
• The overall tasks for the next six months
• The tasks to be done in each hamlet 
• The need for volunteers in each hamlet to organise and carry out the jobs in their immediate area.

This last point is very important to get the broadband duct from the hamlet’s chamber to houses. We hope that as many people will come to their parish meeting as possible. The huge size of our project means that it will be impossible for the small steering group to do the work in the 30 or so hamlets so volunteers are needed in each hamlet. If you will not be able to come to your parish meeting, please come to another one, or tell one of the parish co-ordinators listed below that you would like to help but cannot attend.

Meanwhile, we are continuing to receive a few expressions of interest in connecting to the network. The total is now 275 which is about 57.2% of all homes and businesses. The total investment is £280,050.

If you have any questions please do get in touch.