B4RN - Broadband for the Rural North Ltd

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B4RN - Broadband for the Rural North Ltd

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"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."

21/08/2026

𝐕𝐨𝐥𝐮𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐞𝐫 𝐬𝐩𝐨𝐭𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭: By 2014, Silverdale was beginning to see the fibre coming its way over the hill from Yealand. From the volunteers: ‘A group of movers and shakers from the five parishes got together. Some were pushing from The Yealands end, some pulling from Sandside and Storth end, and Silverdale in the middle, with pessimistic limestone-based expectations of feasibility and sharp intakes of breath all round. They helped out in Borwick to learn the ropes, then took the dig further into the Yealands and on to Silverdale.’

A greenhouse was slowly being built, the better to occupy the imminent ungainly and unemployed time of an about-to-be-retired Captain of the soon-to-be King’s (merchant) navy, on leave for the last time before the onset of pensionerhood. Andy, Edgar and Tim recognised an opportunity when they tripped over it and set out to persuade him that his time would be much better spent …
… and so the seeds were sown, taking root after six months at sea, and Martin Lange was reincarnated as the answer to all those problems

B4YS hadn’t even identified by then.

Martin continues to volunteer on the project and is still connecting new customers. I think it is fair to say he knows everyone in Silverdale virtually and has helped other parishes get connected. A true champion of . Recognised by Buckingham Palace and invited to a garden party!

Read more of the Silverdale story here, and about the magnificent ladies and gentlemen who built it. https://book.b4rn.community/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/chapter-8.pdf

14/08/2026

𝐕𝐨𝐥𝐮𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐞𝐫 𝐬𝐩𝐨𝐭𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭: 𝐏𝐨𝐰𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐑𝐞𝐬𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐢𝐧 𝐍𝐨𝐫𝐟𝐨𝐥𝐤

Last April, our B4RN team headed to Norfolk to upgrade cabinet battery systems and spend time with the incredible local volunteers who help keep the network thriving.

Thanks to some excellent planning and a long day on the ground, cabinet runtimes have been extended from around 4 hours to an impressive 24 hours. This is a big step forward for network resilience, allowing our teams to focus on supporting customers during power outages rather than deploying generators in the early stages.

A huge well done to Tom Hartley, James Clapham (B4RN), and everyone involved in delivering such a successful upgrade. Special recognition also goes to Thomas Wellings for his care, attention to detail, and commitment to learning more about the core network; it’s great to see that passion in action.

We’re also incredibly grateful to the 30 volunteers and community members who joined us that evening to celebrate what’s been achieved in the area. Your support is what makes B4RN possible, and it’s clear Norfolk is in very good hands for the future.

Thank you to everyone involved — this is what community-powered broadband looks like.

07/08/2026

𝐕𝐨𝐥𝐮𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐞𝐫 𝐒𝐩𝐨𝐭𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭: Allen Norris

Dolphinholme sits at the Abbeystead end of the parish and wasn’t included in B4RN’s initial Phase 1 plans, but that didn’t slow the community down. This group was determined to get a gigabit connection, whatever it took. Led by Allen and a small team of neighbours, volunteers went out with mattocks and pickaxes to take on the challenge themselves. Liz kept a crowbar in the boot of her car, ready whenever it was needed on site, and in 2012 the group formed DB4RNAG to bring residents and volunteers together, share information and organise the build. They worked in all weathers and raised the money to fund the entire project at a time when there was no external funding available.

Read the whole story, written by Allen, at the end of chapter 1 in the B4RN book.https://book.b4rn.community/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/chapter-1.pdf

07/08/2026

𝐏𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚𝐧𝐲 𝐝𝐢𝐠𝐠𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐨𝐫 𝐠𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐝𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐤𝐬?
A quick heads-up can save your neighbours a lot of hassle.

B4RN’s fibre runs underground across fields, verges and private land, and accidental damage is more common at this time of year. A single break can cut off whole communities, trigger emergency repairs and cost thousands to put right - all of which means time offline for homes, farms and businesses.

If you know of upcoming works, simply email the team at 𝐬𝐚𝐟𝐞𝐝𝐢𝐠𝐬@𝐛𝟒𝐫𝐧.𝐨𝐫𝐠.𝐮𝐤 with your plans and anything which shows the location (what3words is ideal). We can provide accurate maps to pinpoint exactly where our network runs before you start work and avoid any hiccups.

If you uncover damaged ducting or hit something by accident, please contact 𝐡𝐞𝐥𝐩𝐝𝐞𝐬𝐤@𝐛𝟒𝐫𝐧.𝐨𝐫𝐠.𝐮𝐤 or call/WhatsApp 𝟎𝟏𝟓𝟐𝟒 𝟓𝟓𝟓𝟖𝟖𝟕 as soon as possible.

𝐀 𝐪𝐮𝐢𝐜𝐤 𝐦𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐚𝐠𝐞 𝐧𝐨𝐰 𝐤𝐞𝐞𝐩𝐬 𝐫𝐮𝐫𝐚𝐥 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐮𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐞𝐬 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐧𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐥𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐫.

As a community-owned network, we appreciate everyone's help in looking after the infrastructure that keeps rural homes and businesses online.

Thank you
The B4RN Team

31/07/2026

𝐕𝐨𝐥𝐮𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐞𝐫 𝐒𝐩𝐨𝐭𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭: Led by Arthur Robinson and Martyn Welch, with Colin and the Daves, this was a fantastic story.

The B4SW project began in autumn 2015, when parishioners raised around £500,000 to make the network happen. The first ducts were laid on 26 August 2016, and by the end of the project, 30 kilometres had been laid through New Hutton, 35 kilometres through Old Hutton, and 42 kilometres through Preston Patrick. The first house service went live in January 2017 at Millness, and by February 2018 it was estimated that 51% of all houses in the project had been connected. In total, 97% of homes and businesses across the three parishes were connected.

‘Dad’s Army’ formally disbanded at the end of October 2018, though it has worked occasionally since then. In January 2019, B4RN reported 496 connections.

But that short summary only tells part of the story. The real project was about communities coming together, working tirelessly to deliver something worthwhile, making new friends, enjoying plenty of tea and cake, and having a good bit of craic along the way. Tally ho!

Read the full story here:https://book.b4rn.community/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/chapter-12v2.pdf

24/07/2026

𝐕𝐨𝐥𝐮𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐞𝐫 𝐒𝐩𝐨𝐭𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭: 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐁𝟒𝐑𝐍𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐦𝐞𝐫𝐬.

Keasden and Clapham

This chapter was never meant to happen when it did, but the community's determination made sure it did. There were no vouchers, no government funding —just people getting stuck in and making it happen—and it is well worth a read to see how on earth they did it.

Ann Sheridan, an incredible volunteer who gave so much to the project and is sadly no longer with us, deserves a special mention.

Simon Peach and Ian Jones joined Lancashire to Yorkshire and helped open up the routes to LEWFA, while Colin Price, a local farmer, did much of the digging. A brilliant new contractor, Simon Foster, also joined the B4RNstormers.

Read all about them here:https://book.b4rn.community/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/chapter-7.pdf

There was a story written about Ann Sheridan's life in the Clapham & District Newsletter, which you can find on page 3:https://claphamyorkshire.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/clapham-newsletter-160-april-2026.pdf

17/07/2026

𝐕𝐨𝐥𝐮𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐞𝐫 𝐒𝐩𝐨𝐭𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭: 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐁𝐫𝐚𝐝𝐲 𝐁𝐮𝐧𝐜𝐡 𝐁𝟒𝐑𝐍𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐦𝐞𝐫𝐬.
Keith Brady, Graham Brady, Ken Dunn, Ken Richardson, Craig Scott, Richard Mellor, Dave Scott, James Fletcher (17), Martin Badley, Phil Horsfield, Dave Roberts, Steve Thorns, Simon Osmond, Andrew Foulds, Bill Ramsden, Eric Rooney.

Keith Brady stepped up to bring Borwick and Priest Hutton onto B4RN. He organised work parties, found a local lad with a digger, and the team got stuck in — farm to farm, all the way to the village.

Keith later said he began with no idea what he was doing, relying heavily on help from John Hamlett (Gressingham) and practical spending advice from Chris Carr (Aughton).

He also praised James Fletcher (17) — the young farmer who regularly overturned the 60‑somethings’ carefully planned morning discussions and showed them how the job 𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙡𝙡𝙮 needed doing.

Their group became one of the few to run a regular “working week”: Tuesday to Wednesday. Most were recently retired and loved the camaraderie. Many still meet to do village jobs — often finishing with a pie and a pint.

After a year of digging, the core route was complete, and fibre arrived for Borwick.

Full story:https://book.b4rn.community/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/chapter-8.pdf

10/07/2026

𝐕𝐨𝐥𝐮𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐞𝐫 𝐒𝐩𝐨𝐭𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭: 𝐖𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐢𝐚𝐦 𝐃𝐞𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐲

William volunteered primarily to get internet to his remote home in the village of Middleton. To do this, he first helped the Barbon volunteers bring the core route through from Cowan Bridge. He worked tirelessly for several years and was then roped in to help further communities up the Lune Valley and over to Dent. He worked in all weathers, including snow drifts. After the digging was complete, he helped Frank with blowing fibre and learned how to fuse it. He was then taken on by B4RN as an employee to help train other communities. He 'retired' a couple of years ago but continues to help as a contractor on house installs and with any group that asks him. A true man of grit.

Where there's a Will, there's a way.

The stories from these amazing communities are in chapter 6.
https://book.b4rn.community/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/chapter-6.pdf

03/07/2026

𝐕𝐨𝐥𝐮𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐞𝐫 𝐒𝐩𝐨𝐭𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭: 𝐑𝐚𝐲 𝐍𝐞𝐰𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐭 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐉𝐨𝐡𝐧 𝐒𝐢𝐛𝐥𝐞𝐲

Ray Newport and John Sibley were the faces of Gawthrop and Dent, working tirelessly to help bring fibre to their communities from Barbon. Their dedication, along with the support of many volunteers on the various routes, helped enable other villages to join the network as well.

Their efforts were recognised with well-deserved Spade MBEs, and their stories are a powerful reminder of what can be achieved when communities come together. We must never forget the tremendous commitment, teamwork and persistence that made it happen.

You can read more about their stories below.

https://book.b4rn.community/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/chapter-5v5.pdf

30/06/2026

Thanks to everyone who helped make this possible — B4RN has connected 15,700 customers to our rural full‑fibre network. This is about more than speed: it’s better home working, safer farms, stronger village halls, and more opportunities for local businesses. If your community wants to get connected next, get in touch and let’s see what we can build together. Thanks to the volunteers, investors and neighbours who made this happen.

Want to help bring B4RN to your area? Get in touch and let’s talk.

ISPreview: https://www.ispreview.co.uk/index.php/2026/06/b4rn-connect-15700-customers-to-rural-10gbps-broadband-network.html

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B4RN, Station Yard, Melling
Carnforth
LA62QY

Website

http://b4rn.org.uk/

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