10 November 2021

CityFibre has teamed up with Leeds community interest group, Geeks Room CiC, to provide equipment, including laptops and monitors, to support a new programme helping older students gain employment. The group provides an alternative environment to the traditional school, with children (aged 8-18) given the opportunity to learn through gaming (known as Game Education) and practical lessons. Its inclusive approach is intended to pull down barriers and ensure children with differing abilities and needs feel valued, connected to others and able to make positive contributions to the group and wider community. The team’s inclusive centre is host to a range of courses, including coding clubs, technical classes and design workshops. “Technology donations play an essential role in this and we are grateful for CityFibre’s support as we expand our offering even further to help students gain employment,” said Becky Wetherill, head of management and communication at Geeks Room CiC. The partnership with CityFibre has enabled them to expand the programme, including additional support for older students (aged 16-25) to help develop employability, educational, social and life skills.

10 November 2021

Fibre-to-the-premises provider LilaConnect has started construction of a new full fibre network in Uttoxeter to provide businesses “with fast, stable, and secure internet connectivity”. It is expected that the first premises will be able to connect to this new gigabit full fibre network in early 2022, with all businesses across the town having access by the end of 2022. “Accelerated by the global pandemic, a fast and reliable broadband connection has shifted from being a luxury to an essential utility,” said Brett Shepherd, managing director at LilaConnect. But it’s much more than just streaming video and music or online shopping, it’s also about transforming communities with improvements such as better access to employment, education, and healthcare. Having an open access full fibre network will future-proof Uttoxeter’s digital infrastructure and provide the reliability and bandwidth that is invaluable to residents and businesses in the town.”