B4NTR (pronounced BANTER) is a local volunteer group who have been working since 2018 to bring the best possible internet connection to EVERY SINGLE property locally.
We work with B4RN (Broadband for the Rural North) who are based in the Lake District, won multiple national awards for rural internet and aims “To deliver the best internet service in the country to the areas that are hardest to reach, working shoulder to shoulder with, and for, rural communities, to realise the enduring benefits of greater resilience and connectivity.”
A number of residential properties in our community are already enjoying the benefits of having a B4RN 1000 Mbps broadband service, this includes free community Wi-Fi available at Barrasford Village Hall and a free service for Chollerton Primary School.
As B4RN operates as a Community Benefit Society, projects are funded through a combination of the Government Voucher Scheme, local grants and through investment in B4RN from the communities they work with. The full level of community investment is usually established before a project goes into the build phase.
In Barrasford, working with the local volunteers at B4NTR, B4RN agreed to start to build early – but, now that the build is well underway, we need to secure the remaining community investment to ensure the full scope of the project is delivered. By investing in B4RN you will not only be helping yourself, but also in the long-term future of your wider community.
Let’s take our beautiful part of Northumberland from digitally forgotten to digitally future-proofed for our and the next generation. It’s a huge 250 square mile area aiming to get connected to some the the world’s fastest rural internet available for every single property no matter how far away in the parish.
Not many (any except B4RN?) fibre projects being built elsewhere right now make this claim and many very rural properties and farms are liable to again miss out.
B4NTR Project Boundary Map
You can zoom in on your area to check if you are covered.
Or use the icon that looks like “four corners” in the top right-hand corner of the map to make this map full screen – from there there’s a search function you can use by clicking the magnifying glass in the top left side of the screen and even search for your postcode or house name.
YELLOW = BARRASFORD PROJECT – Birtley and Chollerton (inc Barrasford, Gunnerton AND Colwell) Parishes
ORANGE = WOODBURN PROJECT – Corsenside Parish (inc Ridsdale, West Woodburn, East Woodburn)
BLUE = KIRKWHELPINGTON PROJECT – Bavington, Kirkwhelpington (inc Cambo) and Wallington Parishes