We have now connected St Mary the Virgin church to our RunFibre network to provide a reliable internet connection for use during funerals, weddings and services. With no existing telecommunications line and a very poor mobile signal it was previously very difficult to provide any meaningful service that relied on the internet. The new full fibre line will allow for video feeds to be streamed live for online services. It will also allow for entirely remote services for community members that can't attend physically or in the event of another lockdown or pandemic situation.
Sir Ian said, "During the Covid lockdown, we began experimenting with online church services run by our organist with our vicar. These quickly gained a wide audience, far beyond our village and benefice, including from overseas. To our surprise, this also boosted our income via online donations. This was especially important when our other regular sources of income had practically dried up. However, the internet signal was difficult to link up and sometimes intermittent. Now that we have an excellent broadband signal, we have the opportunity to do a much broader range of online activities and make our services more interesting and varied. Indeed, we are only now beginning to scratch the surface of what might be possible. This will lead to a wider audience and a further income boost, so important to a rural church. We are now also able to gather church collections online from anywhere within the church, something previously impossible."
Our team installed the line discreetly so it would not cause an issue for the look of the building and it's historical listed status. The building dates from the Saxon period and contains work of every period from that time to today. It's brilliant to be a part of modernising such an important institution. Yet another milestone achieved in RunFibre's rural rollout across South Gloucestershire. If your community could benefit from our services then be sure to get in touch and register your properties address here.
