I have over the past month or so started creating digital assets for the village of Burgh Castle. I have so done under my own direction and independently of any Council directive or other organisation. My intention is to put our village firmly on the digital map as an example of how technology can strengthen a rural community.

The beginning


Broadband Internet, or ADSL, was launched in Great Yarmouth in 2001. Our village, which hosts an exchange that serves Belton and Burgh Castle was not updated by BT as there was deemed to be a lack of interest from the residents. I launched a campaign to have the exchange upgraded to support ADSL and enlisted the help of local businesses and residents. I recruited a band of volunteers who spent some of their spare time delivering leaflets, spreading word of mouth and writing to BT in support of the campaign. It was at this time that I launched the www.burgh-castle.co.uk website. Within the space of 6 months we had secured enough support to trigger action from BT. However, it was to be another year before the exchange was upgraded fully and high speed internet came to the village.

The now

Although I have no definite data to support this claim, I suggest that some 75% of households in the area that is served by the Burgh Castle exchange have an internet connection. This is without surprise as since the advent of the World Wide Web in 1991 our society has been in the midst of a technological revolution.

As part of this revolution, I believe it is important that all communities adopt new ways of working and sharing information about their operation. Whilst all district and borough councils now have an obligation to provide their services electronically the same is not true of parish councils. To ask them to do so would be to ask them to levy intolerable precepts upon their residents. However, these mostly small, rural communities are not without a heart. There often exists small groups of people looking to enhance the sense of belonging and cohesion within the parish boundary. A community that is interconnected should find it easier to share this information and thereby realise its potentials.

My aim is to make a search for "Burgh Castle" in a search engine, such as Google, give instant access to all the information that a community has made publicly available. A list of the sorts of information that I am aiming to give access to includes:

Parish Council Agendas and Minutes
Councillor contact details
Bus timetables
Pub  and restaurant locations and opening times
Holiday camp locations and user generated maps for tourists to use
Details of doctors and dentists
Election details
Church services
Groups and organisations

The Future


Ultimately I hope to see more sharing of information. I would like to see each user pick up the mantle and generate their own information and share online independently of any central moderator. As more people use handheld, mobile devices so can the information be shared 24/7. The village will become truly alive and everyone will have a hand in its operation.

Its a grand aim but I feel that this is a significant way to halt the decline in village life. Too many pubs and post offices are being closed due to lack of business. Too many people are coming home from work, drawing the curtains and ignoring the village that they live in. Its a privilege to live in villages like Burgh Castle and I would like to see more people take interest in these parishes.