Northumberland County Council is working with an independent broadband provider, to help raise awareness of fibre broadband support in a Tynedale village.

Work in the Stocksfield area is being carried out to identify communities who need a transformative leap in connectivity by accessing the latest full-fibre technology.

FACTCO is one of the UK’s leading registered suppliers of the Gigabit Broadband Voucher Scheme and has connected over 1,000 business and homes last year.

Residents and businesses in Stocksfield are being urged by FACTCO to register their interest in a full-fibre network installation in their area, making the most of the Government voucher scheme.

The Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport (DCMS) is offering rural communities the chance to connect to ultrafast broadband as part of their Rural Gigabit Broadband Voucher Scheme.

Coun. Nick Oliver, cabinet member for corporate services, said: “FACTCO’s gigabit capable network will allow the community of Stocksfield to improve access to public services such as booking appointments online for the local GP, improve access to resources for local schools.”

Coun. Anne Dale, local councillor for Stocksfield and Broomhaugh, added: “We are working closely with the community and businesses to make them aware of this funding opportunity to improve their broadband speeds.

"I encourage anyone from Stocksfield to get in touch to take advantage of this scheme.”

To register your interest, visit www.factco.co.uk/stocksfield.

At this point, pledging your support does not mean you’re committing to anything, but instead means you will be updated on progress on the network, ensuring you don’t miss out on the opportunity to upgrade your connection at no cost to you.

Once the connection is live FACTCO will be the supplier of your broadband, with monthly packages starting from £24.99 per month.

A full-fibre network will provide the community with up to 1000 Mbps upload and download speeds, and it could be installed throughout the area by the end of 2021.