Despite the holiday slowdown for Christmas and New Year B4RN staff and volunteers braved the freezing weather to make final connections for 10 properties on the east side of Low Park Lane - another step forward for the project.

The plan was that after the holiday slowdown we would then restart the “Big Dig” teams. Alas the increase in Covid infections, locally as well as nationally, prevented that. So for the time being we are restricting volunteer activities to small “Tidy Up” jobs which don’t contravene social distancing standards.

However - there is some good news. We have now got the formal approval for Route 5 - the Sycamore - Summerlands - Stainton link and, as B4RN is classed as an essential service, their staff and contractors can start work on that stretch. But the contractors will need to moleplough/dig through the fields and road verge so we do need to wait for the fields to dry out. 

​The plan at the moment is to start at the Sycamore end, digging a chamber enabling us to cross the A65 which will entail temporary traffic lights (again).
Regulations are such that we have to wait for the current work to be finished. Apologies in advance for any inconvenience that this may cause.
 
To summarise: some progress, frustration at the Covid delays and the rain, but pleased at the go ahead for the Sycamore - Stainton link and a hope that we get dry weather soon.
 
We are a community led project reliant on volunteers. Please contact us if you are able to help bring Hyperfast Broadband to your bit of the parish.

We made another 10 connections in the first week of January. These were all to the north of our existing network and brought in properties to the east of Low Park Lane.