A village in the county of Wrexham finally hopes to connect to fast and reliable broadband thanks to a digital initiative promoted by community partners..
Villages in the Ceiriog Valley made the news in 2020 as a digital black spot. Now thanks to Rural Digital Connectivity, an Ambition North Wales project managed by Cadwyn Clwyd and Menter Môn – residents of Dolywern are hoping to benefit from the Fibre Community Partnership (FCP) operated by Openreach and supported by UK Government’s Gigabit Broadband Voucher scheme.
To reach the required number of participants for the broadband locals are being asked to sign up. If successful, they will be better placed to meet the growing digital demands of everyday life and make the most of future technology developments.
One of those is Councillor Trevor Bates, who represents Dyffryn Ceiriog, he said:
“This would be such a boost for us. After years of struggling with limited broadband, our community now has the chance to secure the connectivity it needs to make the most of opportunities in today’s digital age.
“We don’t want to miss out, so I would urge people to sign-up if they haven’t already. This project is a great example of what we can achieve when we work with our partners. This will benefit our residents and businesses, helping us stay connected, competitive and engaged.”
The FCP has been made possible with additional support and funding from the UK Government’s Gigabit Broadband Voucher Scheme. This Ceiriog Valley community is among 21 across north Wales working towards securing fast broadband in this way. Alongside signposting to the FCP the Rural Digital Connectivity scheme also works with satellite and 4G services providers in different areas to link communities that would otherwise not have access to reliable networks.
Councillor Mark Pritchard, Leader of Wrexham County Borough Council is also the Digital Connectivity Programme Lead at Ambition North Wales. He added:
“We’re delighted that Dolywern is one of the areas looking to benefit from our Rural Digital Connectivity initiative. We want to work with communities like this to improve capability across the whole region to meet the growing demand for access to digital services.
“This project is not only about connecting people to the internet; it’s about connecting communities to new opportunities. This a significant step forward for places like Dolywern, and will enable businesses to grow, students to access additional online learning opportunities, and families to stay connected.”
Rural Digital Connectivity is available across all six counties of north Wales. It is managed by Cadwyn Clwyd and Denbighshire Council in the east and Menter Môn in the west. The scheme will run for another month supporting rural communities to access faster broadband and digital services.