Press Release
Norfolk pupils are celebrating the end of the year in style after a local community broadband provider teamed up with a publisher to donate dozens of educational and mental health books worth hundreds of pounds.
As part of its focus on supporting local communities, County Broadband, which is building full-fibre broadband infrastructure across rural south Norfolk, is working in partnership with Usborne Books to support Mulbarton Primary School near Norwich.
County Broadband has raised over £1,000 as part of the Usborne Books Community Book Pledge which aims to increase vital reading material and up-to-date resources for schools.
Headteacher Bev Theobald praised the community book donation, saying: “We are very grateful for County Broadband and Usborne Books to support us during such challenging times for staff, pupils and families. It’s the perfect present ahead of the summer holidays.
“The children were very excited and it’s been great watching them dive straight into them. High-quality reading material is incredibly important for children to help promote a love of reading and prompt conversations around issues such as their physical and mental health.”
Looking after your Mental Health, Miss Molly’s School of Kindness, Write Your Own Story Book, and How Your Body Works are among the donated books.
Lloyd Felton, chief executive officer at County Broadband, based in East Anglia, said: “We are thrilled to see so many smiles among the pupils and staff at Mulbarton Primary School.
“As a community broadband provider, giving something back to our communities and spreading some joy and positivity is one of our most important values and a key reason why we’re supporting all the areas in which we’re building future-ready hyperfast full-fibre broadband.”
Lucy Dye, Usborne Books organiser whose child also attends Mulbarton Primary School, said: “As a parent with a child at Mulbarton Primary School, I have a keen interest in making books accessible to young readers which is why I took on the role becoming an independent Usborne Organiser. I’m delighted to be able to work with County Broadband and facilitate this pledge. The amount raised for this initiative goes way beyond our expectations and the books are sure to be enjoyed by many children for years to come.”
County Broadband’s full-fibre networks use fibre-to-the-premises (FTTP) infrastructure in which fibre optic cables are installed directly into the premises, offering download and uploads speeds of 1,000 Mbps. It replaces fibre-to-the-cabinet (FTTC) Victorian copper-based infrastructure on which ‘Superfast’ is based.
The rollout of full-fibre broadband could be worth £5.38bn to the East of England economy over the next five years, according to the Centre for Economics and Business Research.
Residents and businesses can check if they are covered in County Broadband’s rollout by entering their postcode at http://www.countybroadband.co.uk.
