The village of Martley and its surrounding hamlets had for years been unable to secure high-speed internet connections in some areas due to its distance from the telephone exchanges, difficult landscape and a lack of investment in the ageing infrastructure.

This led to a small group of villagers creating a not-for-profit organisation known as Martley Web Mesh around three years ago. Using the latest wireless technology, Martley Web Mesh enables provision of up to two megabits per second of broadband to local homes and businesses without the need for major investment in the capacity of the telephone line.

It is run by a small team of volunteers – Richard Jackman, John Layton, Tom Pearsall, John Nicklin, Michelle Higgins and Margaret Colburn – and currently services more than 100 computers across the community including businesses such as an electrical contractor, the local B&B and the village pub.

This means that many of the residents who commute to places like Worcester or Birmingham have the option of working from home, youngsters who need the internet for their studies have access and businesses are able to compete on a level playing field with those based in urban areas. Additionally, free access is provided to the village hall for anybody to use.

Martley Web Mesh received £5,000 from the Rural Regeneration Zone’s Nexus Grant scheme via Community First which enabled them to purchase radio equipment to expand the service. The grant scheme, which has just been extended to run until April 2010, offers small grants to community organisations for projects which improve access to essential services.

John Layton from Martley Web Mesh said: “For a long time, the inability to secure broadband coverage in the village had caused us all sorts of problems.

“Part of the beauty of this service for the people in the village is they know that if there’s a problem it’s a local phone call and they know we will be able to help them quickly which is great particularly for the older villagers.

“Not having suitable broadband access really was a problem for people of all ages and we’re delighted to have found a solution to this.

“This is the first project of its kind that we’re aware of in the West Midlands and there are only a handful of similar schemes nationally.

“The Nexus funding was very helpful indeed in enabling us to buy equipment to upgrade the service, particularly as we operate as a not-for-profit organisation and we try to keep the cost as low as possible.”
Matt Smith, Rural Regeneration Zone Partnerships Manager, said: “Having access to high-speed internet is almost as important as having access to running water or electricity and people living in rural areas can sometimes miss out through no fault of their own.

“Martley Web Mesh is a fantastic example of how a community has managed to tackle its own challenges by developing a low cost solution. The result is not just better access to broadband – the local community and businesses in this corner of Worcestershire have been brought closer together.”

Picture (from left): Richard Jackman, Martley Web Mesh; Sophie Mead, Community First; John Nicklin, MWM; Matt Smith, Rural Regeneration Zone; Tom Pearsall, MWM.