The commercial nature of the roll-out of digital connectivity has resulted in an urban bias. Government intervention has been necessary to reduce this bias and invest in rural broadband services, but we still face the issue of the most rural areas waiting for the longest for services to be provided. Some rural areas face the risk of never getting access to a service equivalent to that provided in other places.

At a focus group held by CCB in 2021 on the topic of digital inclusion, we identified three significant barriers affecting people in rural areas, and those on low incomes in particular:

• The availability of affordable internet connections
• The opportunity to develop skills and confidence to use online services safely
• Access to affordable and appropriate devices

CCB is committed to supporting rural communities to address these barriers and believes that every rural community should have at least one place where local people can access high-quality internet connectivity free of charge.

We are keen to hear from people living in rural communities who share our commitment to tackling digital exclusion, particularly those involved with village halls that could become venues where advice, support, and training can be provided to local people. We are also keen to hear from other organisations that share our commitment to addressing this issue or who already deliver services that help people develop digital skills and get online safely. Please contact Tim Parry on 0118 961 2000 or by email at tim.parry@ccberks.org.uk

We are happy to report that Beech Hill Memorial Hall (BHMH) has recently successfully installed Super-Fast Fibre to its building.

On a recent visit to the hall Kate Meads, Community Buildings Advisor at CCB said; “I was delighted to hear that after much effort on the part of the BHMH Trustees, full fibre broadband has now been installed by Gigaclear. The Trustees are thrilled by the new speeds and hopeful it will attract new hirers and offer the possibility of developing a community hub to support residents with access to digital technologies in the future”

“CCB is looking closely at how Village Halls might become Digital Hubs in some rural locations where broadband connections are poor and where many people are digitally excluded. Digital inclusion in rural communities is one of our key strategic aims.”

Beech Hill Memorial Hall Hon. Treasurer Fleur Howles said: “The Memorial Hall at Beech Hill recently completed the installation of full fibre broadband by Gigaclear, the rural fibre network specialists.  With help from CCB’s Community Buildings Advice Service and a fair amount of pestering from the Trustees, Gigaclear eventually designated the hall as a community hub, meaning our broadband will operate at super-fast speeds for at least the next year at no charge.

This is great news for the hall, as we can now offer services to hirers and locals who would like to use the hall for a variety of activities, such as remote working, online classes, and streamed entertainment such as films and video presentations.    

Previously our speeds were between 8 and 12 Mb/s, and in a trial in December 2021 it was found that with two people working remotely in the hall, only one person could access Microsoft teams at a time, making remote working impossible for groups.  

We are very pleased with the results and hope to put this new capability to good use as more and more services move online.”

We know this will be a great asset to the local community and if you’re interested in learning more about the memorial hall and how you can book it for your local business or event please click here to take a look: https://www.bhmh.org.uk/

Volunteer Centre West Berkshire is organising an online training session on 16^th March about HR fundamentals for charities.

Charities are employers and so are subject to the same laws as everyone else. But charities can also be different from regular employers in that money is generally tighter, there can be volunteer workers and often there is no HR professional on board.

OUTCOMES

The training is designed to point you to the really important HR stuff you need as a charity – staff training and a knowledge of the rights of employees and volunteers, including employment contracts and handbooks and HR systems.

WHO SHOULD ATTEND?

Charities who feel they would benefit from a better understanding of their organisation’s management system. Existing charities and new charities who need a refresher session.

ABOUT THE TRAINER

Simon Fenton, is Fenton Elliott solicitors’ founder and Managing Partner. He has degrees in Law from Cardiff University, Management Science from Aston University Business School and a post-graduate qualification from De Montfort University. He qualified as a solicitor with a leading London City firm in 1993.

You will be sent a Zoom link after booking.

To book (contribution £12), visit https://voluntarysectortrainingalliance.org.uk/home/about/

Volunteer Centre West Berkshire

Charitable Incorporated Organisation No 1156302

Broadway House

4-8 The Broadway

Northbrook Street

Newbury RG14 1BA

01635 49004

http://www.volunteerwestberks.org.uk/