With roots stretching back to the 12th century, Willitoft is a quiet, secluded spot, about four miles from the nearest village of Bubwith and six miles from the town of Howden. We’ll discover how bringing broadband to Willitoft has changed the digital lives of Colin and his family.
For years, the remote location meant slow internet speeds and limited digital connectivity. But that all changed when Quickline Broadband arrived. Now, with high-speed internet at their fingertips, the Walkers have seen their daily lives transformed, bringing modern convenience to even the most rural corners of Yorkshire.
“It’s changed everything,” says Colin. “Living in such an isolated area no longer means being digitally cut off.”
“We live here because we have an equestrian centre. The rural area, the peace and quiet and being with nature, it suits me and my personality. It’s nice to be away from the busy rat race.
“The thing I love most is when it is summertime, waking up on a lovely morning, going out to the horses and hearing them ask for their breakfast, listening to the birds, walking round and seeing the nature we have here. It’s a really nice place to be.
“We’ve got no choice how the world is going and the shift towards the internet and everything being online. So, when you live in a rural place especially, the advantages of being able to do things like your banking on your phone, putting in security cameras and being able to check them on your phone to see what’s happening, it’s great. Having enough bandwidth to be able to run security cameras is important for us.
“And we enjoy being able to just put the TV on and download a film. Before Quickline came and saved us I’d never been able to do that.
“Before Quickline broadband was installed the previous service came from a cabinet in Bubwith, via a copper wire, and by the time it reached us here the best I could get was so slow that it wasn’t enough to load my banking on my phone. And it was a waste of time having Netflix – you just couldn’t get anything to download.
“The day I saw the Quickline van outside, and the engineer told me they were bringing full fibre here, it was like we’d won the lottery!
“BT had told us it wasn’t on their schedule, and it was not something they would be doing very soon. And I understand that – it is very expensive to come to this little place for just a handful of addresses.
“Because we are in a rural area, the location of the property and the security we have, it was not a straightforward installation. We discussed what to do and where we wanted it – there were lots of ladders, climbing though bushes and so on and the engineers were always asking if I was happy with what they were doing. They were brilliant.
“The difference for us now is that whilst I like living rurally, it has given me access to the world within a second – like my banking, business, cameras, films – it’s brilliant. Everything has moved away from the countryside, there’s no bank locally for example and so we need to get online.
“Rural communities like this one often get forgotten about, but there are people living here, they’re running businesses and so good broadband is a very important thing – for us to be connected so we can use the internet is important. If you haven’t got the internet now you are just left behind – you’re just forgotten.
“Being connected through Project Gigabit has made a massive difference to us.”
You can see more on how bringing broadband to Willitoft has changed lives for the good – watch the video below – and see how Quickline is changing lives across Yorkshire and Lincolnshire. Finally follow Quickline on LinkedIn today, you’ll keep in-the-know and hear about the latest news and updates.
