St James the Greater Anglican Parish Church and Church Hall in Torpoint has become one of Wildanet’s Community Hubs, receiving a free 500Mbps full fibre broadband connection as part of the UK government’s Project Gigabit programme.
Located on Salamanca Street, the Church and Hall are busy and valued community venues, used by a wide range of local groups each month. Alongside regular community activities, the hall is available to hire for birthday parties, meetings, exhibitions and clubs, providing an important and flexible space for people across Torpoint and the Rame Peninsula.
The new full fibre connection will support reliable, high-speed WiFi for the many groups and hirers who use the building. It will enable video calls and hybrid meetings, online learning and training, streamed content and presentations, online bookings, as well as dependable connectivity for visitors, community events and the day-to-day running of the Church and Hall.
Revd. Steve Guffick, Rector of Torpoint, said:
“The new WiFi makes the space even more useful for people in Torpoint, while also supporting the day-to-day running of the church and our mission to make Jesus known to all.
Reliable broadband makes a huge difference to the hirers and groups using the church building today, and helps us expand what we can offer the community in future. Providing free internet access gives more people access to something many take for granted, and we are pleased to be able to offer it here to help break down barriers.”
The new connection has been made available free of charge to St James the Greater Church and Church Hall for an initial period of three years. It has been delivered by Wildanet as part of its work to bring fast, reliable full fibre broadband to rural communities across Cornwall through the UK government’s Project Gigabit programme.
Julie-anne Sunderland, Chief People Officer at Wildanet, said:
“Helping people get online and make the most of the internet is an important part of supporting the communities we serve. By providing free full fibre WiFi at the Community Hub at St James the Greater Church, we are pleased to help more people in Torpoint access online services.
There is already strong interest in Wildanet’s full fibre network locally, and the hub is a practical way to help ensure the benefits of faster, more reliable connectivity are shared more widely across the community.”
Previous installations to community hubs as part of Project Gigabit include Praa Sands and District Community Hub, Godolphin Cross Community Association and St Keverne Parish Hall, with more community sites set to follow. Wildanet currently has full fibre connection capability for over 1,500 homes and businesses in the area, with a rollout programme currently underway.
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