23.03.07
actnow reaches out to the rural communities in Cornwall

The Rural Cornwall & Isles of Scilly Partnership has invested £99,525 to launch a new project called actnow reach, aimed at boosting broadband use in rural Cornish communities. This investment is from the South West Regional Development Agency Rural Renaissance scheme.

actnow reach will set out to achieve a number of different targets when the project launches in May 2007. This includes connecting 50 voluntary and community projects to broadband as well as providing funding and training support to at least 30 of these.

Nigel Ashcroft, Project Director of actnow, which is led by Cornwall Enterprise with investment from Objective One, was delighted to receive the Rural Renaissance investment to extend their remit. He says "actnow was originally set up to promote broadband use amongst businesses, but our vision is to see the benefits of broadband being enjoyed by every man, woman and child in Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly. This new project will reach out to people in rural communities that have not yet experienced the benefits of broadband."

actnow reach will focus on bringing the benefits of broadband to at least 250 small businesses in rural areas that have not yet connected to broadband.

Bill Holliday, Manager of the Rural Cornwall & Isles of Scilly Partnership, says: "actnow reach will now enable the transformational power of broadband to be enjoyed by the wider rural community. Essential services have become centralised, often leaving those in rural areas in need and forced to travel. We are keen to find new ways to provide essential services in rural areas and broadband is a vitally important element of this. Broadband not only makes it easier for people in rural areas to access services, it also makes it easier for rural businesses to thrive."

actnow reach will also help set up three community centres in Cornwall where the benefits of IT and the internet can be promoted to local residents, including the elderly and people with disabilities, who often stand to gain significantly from broadband as it offers easier access to services. The location for the three centres will be selected via a 'community challenge.'

These community centres have been inspired by the success of projects such as The Computer Club in Helston, set up by retired businessman John Mitchell and providing huge benefits to local people such as Annie Heyden of Mullion, who is now an avid broadband user and uses it to stay in close contact with her children and grandchildren, who live hundreds of miles away.

Annie says: "Because of the skills I've learned, I now use broadband to have frequent communication with all my family. The grandchildren send me photos of what they have been up to and the latest photos of their pets. My grandson even persuaded me to join MSN Messenger. It's great – I can have live email chats with them over the internet. One of my sons is planning to spend some time in Australia soon, but because of broadband, if he goes it will not seem so far away."

Annie continues, "I do my banking online now. It's wonderful and saves me having to travel into Helston all the time as we have no banks in Mullion anymore. I also use it for shopping sometimes and this makes life a lot easier, especially when you live in Cornwall and would have to travel a long way to be able to find what you were after in the shops."

Blair Thomson, Chairman of the Cornwall Strategic Partnership says: "Voluntary and community groups are at the heart of local communities across rural Cornwall. It is vital that we help them connect to broadband as that will not only allow them to work more effectively, it will also act as a catalyst, helping to promote further broadband usage in their local community. It is excellent that the vital role that voluntary and community groups play is being recognised through this new project."

John Berry, Managing Director of Cornwall Enterprise, which is part-funding actnow reach says: "Broadband is boosting the competitiveness of Cornish businesses and helping individuals benefit from new education and leisure opportunities, but much remains to be done. It is not just about whether companies and individuals have broadband, it is about how effectively they are using the technology. This pilot project will break new ground as it looks at innovative ways to engage with rural communities and ensure that the benefits of broadband are available to all."

For further information contact Lynn File at Brand Innovation on 07968 015731 or email lynn@brandinnovation.co.uk.

The Objective One Programme for Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly has invested in the actnow project through the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) and the European Agricultural Guidance and Guarantee Fund (EAGGF).

Editor's notes:

The actnow programme is a demand-led initiative to encourage businesses in Cornwall to gain the support they need to move into the broadband economy. It is one of the largest private and public sector partnerships in Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly since it was granted Objective One status by the European Union in 2000.

The £20 million pound project is part financed by the European Union through the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) and the European Agricultural Guidance and Guarantee Fund (EAGGF). Other project partners include Cornwall Enterprise, the Objective One Partnership Office, BT, the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, the South West of England Regional Development Agency, the Cornwall County Council, Business Link Devon and Cornwall, Cornwall College and Rural Cornwall & Isles of Scilly Partnership.

Clare Morgan
Media Relations Manager
Objective One Partnership Office
Castle House
Pydar Street
Truro TR1 2UD
Mobile: 07973 813647
Telephone: 01872 223439

cmorgan@cornwall.gov.uk

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