St Breward Institute and War Memorial Hall
In the remote village of St Breward on Bodmin Moor, the Institute and War Memorial Hall is the heart of village life. A registered charity the community hall is home to a wide range of clubs, including the WI, an Arts Group, History Group, Gardening Group and even a community cinema.
Superfast broadband helps all the clubs run to their full potential, enabling a wide range of new activities, since the hall was connected to superfast broadband.
The superfast connection was first installed in the Autumn of 2013 thanks to the Superfast Cornwall programme and Superfast Cornwall also helped set up digital skills sessions for local residents.
In 2019, Superfast Cornwall funded the centre’s superfast connection for 18 months, thus helping towards the centre’s significant operational costs and helping safeguard the hall’s future.
Trustee Veronica Stansfield says: “Superfast broadband is absolutely vital to the hall. The connection is fantastic and we simply could not imagine being without it. The support we have had from Superfast Cornwall has been invaluable.”
The hall also runs computer classes, helping local residents get to grips with the internet and make the most of the opportunities it presents. Between Autumn 2013 and May 2019, the hall supported 834 students on 123 separate sessions, each lasting two and a half hours.
The sessions are devised around topics of interest to residents and have included using an iPad or tablet, guarding against internet scams, using the internet for photography and for everyday tasks such as dealing with government agencies and services.
Veronica says: “Having a superfast connection at the hall has meant that we have been able to boost computer skills in the community, making a big difference to people’s quality of life and expanding horizons.”
Veronica continues: “Superfast has also redefined the nature of the activities that our clubs can offer. For example, using the superfast connection and our smart board, the Art Group can make ‘virtual tours’ of art galleries online, the Gardening Group can watch You Tube videos on gardening techniques and the History Group can carry out online research. Our community cinema can stream films. These are just a few of the many examples of how superfast broadband has transformed what we can do at the hall”
Fellow trustee Ivor Chivers adds: “The parish council is based at the Institute and War Memorial Hall. Superfast broadband has also helped streamline their activities as they can now look at planning applications and carry out other important research online, saving time and money.”
Ivor concludes: “Superfast broadband has revolutionised the way we run our hall and what we can offer to our community. It has supercharged the hub of our community and helped bring new skills and experiences to the people of St Breward.”
