Driving change through full-fibre

By Tom Doughty, Stakeholder Engagement Officer, Freedom Fibre

Freedom Fibre was founded in Irlam, Greater Manchester, and is dedicated to driving change through its work building a reliable, resilient and lightning-fast full-fibre network for homes and businesses across the North West and beyond.

We partner with Internet Service Providers to optimise the UK’s fibre network. With our knowledge and expertise, we innovate and challenge conventional thinking to deliver an inclusive, high-speed fibre infrastructure.  

One of our key aims is to support the national agenda of bridging the digital divide in hard-to-reach communities through education, affordable solutions and collaboration.  

Greater Manchester Combined Authority’s commitment to doing digital differently, ensuring everyone can benefit from the opportunities digital technologies bring rings true to us. Recently, we helped to provide free high-speed fibre broadband to the Higher Folds Community Centre in Leigh, which will directly support local residents and the Higher Folds community.

Higher Folds Community Centre also acts as an accessible hub for local residents to use when needing to access a free connection. Working in partnership with the Digital Wigan team highlighted how important public-private partnership is to make sure no community is left behind, particularly with how much people require access to the internet for accessing essential public services services, banking, and shopping, but cannot always do so easily.  

At Freedom Fibre, we also runs ‘The Freedom Fund’, in which grants are made available to non-profit community groups within our build areas to go towards ‘good and green’ environmental projects. We’re delighted that we’ve been able to help support community groups in Irlam, such as Friends of Irlam Library with their new secret garden, as well as Prince’s Park Garden Centre.

We are currently progressing the roll out of gigabit-capable broadband in North Shropshire and will commence work in rural Cheshire at the beginning of 2025. Increasing full-fibre coverage across these areas aligns perfectly with our company values. In building in hard-to-reach areas, Freedom Fibre aims to reduce the digital divide by rolling out to these communities.

The rollout of Gigabit broadband across the UK represents one of the largest infrastructure projects in the country. Faster broadband helps to promote long-term economic growth, boosting our local economies, and encourages entrepreneurship. This long-term economic security is crucial to make sure that no part of the country is left behind. Gigabit broadband helps to future-proof local communities for decades to come and ensures that equality of opportunity is available to all: geography should not be a defining factor in the ability to achieve, succeed, and dream.

To learn more about Freedom Fibre, their work to help bridge the digital and the Freedom Fund, visit the Freedom Fibre website, you can also keep up to date with their work by following them on LinkedIn, Facebook and Instagram.