Historic Lulworth Estate latest to benefit from Superfast Dorset programme
One of Dorset’s most famous locations is the latest to benefit from the multi million pound Superfast Dorset broadband partnership.
High-speed fibre broadband is now available to more than 850 households and businesses in Lulworth and Winfrith, which includes Lulworth Castle, Lulworth Cove and Durdle Door. Lulworth and Winfrith Primary School, like many schools across Dorset, have also benefitted from the fibre broadband rollout.
Superfast Dorset has already made fibre broadband available to more than 80 schools across Dorset. And work to connect schools to faster and more reliable broadband won’t stop there, with the partnership planning to reach even more schools in the coming months.
The arrival of high-speed broadband was celebrated at Lulworth and Winfrith Primary School, which is on the Lulworth Estate. Teachers and pupils showed how they are using this exciting new technology provided by Superfast Dorset.
Head teacher Sharon Buckland said “The arrival of faster broadband is great news. Use of the internet now touches every part of the curriculum with pupils using it every day for everything from interactive exercises on a whiteboard connected to the internet to doing online research for school projects and a variety of other schoolwork. Without fast connectivity and speeds there is the risk that children will miss out on what is now an essential learning tool. It is also essential to the day to day working of our split site school as both sites rely on a fast connection for administration access.”
Superfast Dorset is working to roll out faster, more reliable broadband to businesses and homes across the county. It is delivering fibre broadband to areas, which fall outside the private sector’s commercial rollout of the high speed technology. The project is funded by the UK Government, Dorset councils and BT.
Deputy Leader of Purbeck District Council and Councillor for Lulworth and Winfrith, Barry Quinn, said: “The Superfast Dorset team are committed to providing 95 per cent of Dorset residents with superfast broadband before the end of the year. Residents and businesses, who otherwise would have been left out, are benefitting as a result of the scheme. As you can see, faster and more reliable broadband helps to ensure more opportunities for all Dorset residents, which will help our county to prosper now and for many years to come.”
BT South West Regional Manager, Paul Coles, said: “Superfast Dorset is making a major contribution to the success and prosperity of the county as it rolls out fibre broadband to some of Dorset’s most rural locations. This multi million pound project and BT’s own commercial fibre broadband programme have already reached more than 350,000 Dorset homes, businesses and schools. Vital investment of this kind is building a lasting legacy which will make sure that today’s pupils don’t miss out on tomorrow’s opportunities as well as helping local businesses compete globally and making it easier for households to communicate with friends and family abroad.”
The new fibre-based network is open to all broadband providers on an equal wholesale basis, so local households and businesses can benefit from competitive products and pricing from a wide range of broadband providers.
The technology will boost the competitiveness of local businesses, helping them to find new customers and operate more efficiently, while opening up a host of new learning, entertainment and development opportunities for households.
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Notes to editors
*Speeds quoted are the top wholesale speeds available from BT’s local network division Openreach to all broadband service providers; speeds offered by service providers to customers may vary.
About the Superfast Dorset project
Superfast Dorset is a partnership between BT, the Department of Media, Culture and Sport (DCMS), Dorset County Council, Bournemouth Borough Council, the Borough of Poole, Christchurch Borough Council, East Dorset District Council, North Dorset District Council, Purbeck District Council, West Dorset District Council and Weymouth and Portland Borough Council.
Partner contributions, including additional funding for the Marshwood Vale, the second contract, announced in June 2015 and Dorset councils’ contribution to ensure the benefits of the infrastructure are realised:
DCMS - £11.7 m
BT - £13.29 m
Dorset councils - £12.3 m
Breakdown of Local Authority allocation:
- Dorset County Council - £8,633,473
- West Dorset District Council - £1,487,207
- Christchurch Borough Council - £100,044
- East Dorset District Council - £347,434
- North Dorset District Council - £843,475
- Purbeck District Council -£437,614
- Weymouth & Portland Borough Council - £153,093
- Bournemouth Borough Council - £70,495
- Poole Borough Council - £227,490
Further information is available from www.dorsetforyou.com/superfast.
