The Pairc Trust is delighted to announce that we have successfully applied for funding for our ‘Connecting Communities’ pilot project, which aims to ensure that all residents in the village of Orinsay, Pairc, Isle of Lewis, have appropriate access to internet services. Thank you to WHP Telecoms for supporting this project - the Trust is looking forward to carrying out this work to benefit our community.
Martyn Cheyne, WHP Telecoms Group Chief Strategic Officer, said:
“WHP Telecoms are delighted to be supporting the Pairc Trust in this pilot project as part of our S4GI Community Benefit Fund. Connectivity is a key pillar in strengthening our communities and we are pleased to be able to extend the reach of the S4GI project in this manner, assisting in the mission of ensuring the Outer Hebrides retains and attracts people to develop a sustainable population.”
At the Pairc Trust we understand that connectivity is a vital part ensuring our communities remain resilient, and we feel that all residents should have access to good and reliable internet for a number of reasons – allowing people to communicate with family and friends, to access vital services online, to be able to work from home, to be able to deal with crofting or business administration, and more.
Pairc Trust Directors listened to feedback from residents in Orinsay and identified a number of houses that do not receive adequate 4G coverage – even though they are located near to the mast in the neighbouring village of Lemreway – and sought to find a solution. Due to the remote and rural location of the village, and its Hebridean geology and geography, the Trust discovered that a unique approach would be needed to make sure all the houses were receiving the signal they should. A local IT Specialist will erect a combination of external antennas and remote poles in order to route a signal to the various houses who have poor access to the internet. The Trust is now asking members of the community to let them know if there are other homes in the Pairc area that receive poor, or even no 4G signal at all.
Angus McDowall, Chair of the Pairc Trust said:
“We are delighted to have been successful in our application to the WHP Telecoms Community Benefit Fund, meaning we can improve access to internet in Orinsay. We know it’s an important issue to the residents there and we are delighted to have been able to address it. We are also asking the community in other villages in Pairc – how is your 4G? If your answer is “it’s not great!” then please get in touch with us as we explore rolling out this project to the rest of the community, wherever it might be needed. The Pairc Trust recognises that connectivity is important in our community, one that is often interlinked with other concerns from the local economy to social isolation, and we are committed to doing what we can to improve it.”
Policy highlights the importance of keeping our communities connected. Digital Connectivity is identified as a key component of the National Islands Plan highlighting the Scottish Government aim to “deliver a step change in the quality of digital connectivity across the islands”, and the Pairc Trust’s project will contribute to this aim by addressing so-called “not-spots” found where people live in our communities but are not served by 4G, and so can’t access the benefits of it.
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