The Dig Grant
As more properties are connected, increasingly we are being asked “What is the Dig Grant”?
The money required to fund the work initially comes from local people investing but the bulk of cash is provided by the Government to B4RN, depending on the number of connections to businesses and households. Through local volunteers and their contractors B4RN lay the “core routes” to the different areas of the village and then an individual service duct to the boundary of a property. It is the property owner’s responsibility to get the service ducting to the property and inside to the house kit (see below).
As a contribution to any expense incurred in doing this B4RN give a Dig Grant of £150 to the customer.
House Kit. Fitting the house kit can be tricky so we recommend it be done by someone who knows what they are doing. Locally two of our volunteers, Martin Smith and Pip Tedcastle, have fitted almost all of them and are happy to help. They, like all the volunteers, donate their time for free so we ask that a contribution of £50 be made to the volunteer group to help defray costs of tools, Covid precautionary materials, first aid kit etc. Any surplus funds will be ploughed back (almost literally!) into the project and will help fund access to some of our harder to reach areas. Of course you are perfectly free to donate all of your £150 dig grant to the project 😊.
Timescale. After you are connected you will receive emails from B4RN enabling you to set up a Direct Debit to pay for the service and for the Service Connection Fee of £150 (this fee will be waived if you have invested £1500 or more in B4RN shares). You will also receive an email asking to whom you would like the Dig Grant cheque making out. Then, usually around 6-8 weeks after your connection, and soon after your first monthly Direct Debit has been paid, you will receive a cheque.
Cheques. Please make cheques payable to Preston Richard Parish Council and deliver to your local coordinator in an envelope with your property's name on it. If you are not sure where to deliver the cheque please Contact us at b4rnpr@gmail.com. Thank you.
The money required to fund the work initially comes from local people investing but the bulk of cash is provided by the Government to B4RN, depending on the number of connections to businesses and households. Through local volunteers and their contractors B4RN lay the “core routes” to the different areas of the village and then an individual service duct to the boundary of a property. It is the property owner’s responsibility to get the service ducting to the property and inside to the house kit (see below).
As a contribution to any expense incurred in doing this B4RN give a Dig Grant of £150 to the customer.
House Kit. Fitting the house kit can be tricky so we recommend it be done by someone who knows what they are doing. Locally two of our volunteers, Martin Smith and Pip Tedcastle, have fitted almost all of them and are happy to help. They, like all the volunteers, donate their time for free so we ask that a contribution of £50 be made to the volunteer group to help defray costs of tools, Covid precautionary materials, first aid kit etc. Any surplus funds will be ploughed back (almost literally!) into the project and will help fund access to some of our harder to reach areas. Of course you are perfectly free to donate all of your £150 dig grant to the project 😊.
Timescale. After you are connected you will receive emails from B4RN enabling you to set up a Direct Debit to pay for the service and for the Service Connection Fee of £150 (this fee will be waived if you have invested £1500 or more in B4RN shares). You will also receive an email asking to whom you would like the Dig Grant cheque making out. Then, usually around 6-8 weeks after your connection, and soon after your first monthly Direct Debit has been paid, you will receive a cheque.
Cheques. Please make cheques payable to Preston Richard Parish Council and deliver to your local coordinator in an envelope with your property's name on it. If you are not sure where to deliver the cheque please Contact us at b4rnpr@gmail.com. Thank you.
