Chris became a community leader for the programme in Lea Heath east of Stafford and joined with nearby Drointon to form the fibre community partnership. Forty-eight premises have now been connected as a result.
Chris said: "The full-fibre connection has been brilliant – a real life changer. We do all of our business operation online and can now do anything at any time. Before we had to carefully plan and would have limited business time due to the copper connection, which could be affected by the weather.”
Louise added: "The business uses online portals to connect with clients and we also design leaflets, which involves uploading artwork. This used to be painful and could cause errors. Now it’s so slick and we can do things in a split second. Our business phones are rerouted to mobiles via the internet which is important as a lot of clients are small local businesses who want to be able to speak to you whenever they want.”
With many meetings taking place by video call, Chris said reliable connection is vital – helping to cut down on travel time and unnecessary costs.
And with a young son keen on gaming, the choice of downloadable games available in an instant has improved life, while the rest of the family can enjoy watching streamed programmes and films at the same time.
The wider community is realising the huge benefits too. Chris said: "This is a rural hamlet with more isolated residents who are now getting to grips with the technology. They’re making video calls to family and friends which they weren’t before and we’re not on a bus route, so this is ever more important. We’re also aware one of the farmers checks on his cattle using streamed CCTV, so it’s really helped his business. The whole process has been seamless and we didn’t have to jump through any hoops. The communication from the programme team has been great throughout.”