More than 160,000 Worcestershire homes and businesses now able to benefit from Openreach’s full fibre broadband

Wildgoose Rural Training Centre, in Hallow in Worcester, is a 42-acre site, with a nature reserve, care farm, visitor centre and tearoom. 

It provides adults and young people from all backgrounds, as well as those struggling with mainstream education, the opportunity to learn about horticulture, conservation, farming, arts and crafts, cooking, mechanics and animal care.

The centre was upgraded to full fibre broadband earlier this year after Openreach engineers replaced and repaired parts of the local network, brought more than 3km of new fibre cables, including along the nearby A443, and delivered faster speeds. Work took around three months.

The new connection has enabled Wildgoose to successfully move its work online, enabling the charity to keep up with new technology and successfully move to Microsoft 365.

It’s also transformed their previously unstable connection, which made working online difficult at times, to the new fibre cable. This has allowed students to use computers at the centre for classes and activities, helping to grow their potential and nurture their independence.

Dame Harriett Baldwin, MP for West Worcestershire, commented: “I first visited the Wildgoose Training Centre at its old location just down the road, and have seen it grow from strength to strength in its new home, both as a popular nature reserve and a wonderful venue for adult social care provision.

“Clearly venues like this need good and reliable internet connectivity and I welcome the work Worcestershire County Council has done in partnership with Openreach to get fibre connectivity to some of the harder to reach areas of my constituency.”

Wildgoose moved to their current site in 2019. Hundreds of adults and school age students, who struggle to attend school, spend time there learning new experiences and skills. The service is contracted by Worcestershire County Council as a day care provider for adults with disabilities.

Ben Showan – IT Officer at Wildgoose said: “Visitors who use our facilities have been able to use access the internet and make use of its fantastic connectivity, host video conferencing and meetings. Openreach and Worcestershire Council have been amazing throughout, from enquiring about the 5g testbed, to having the offer of installation and the installation itself; everyone has been so helpful and this has been a real improvement to the systems that we use at Wildgoose Rural Training. It has reinforced the importance of access to gigabit broadband to the wider community and the excellent work that is being carried out in the wider community.”

Across Worcestershire, Openreach engineers have now made full fibre available to more than 160,000 homes and businesses – more than half of all premises. This figure increases to 1.5 million across the wider West Midlands region.

Councillor Adam Kent, Cabinet Member with Responsibility for Economy and Skills at Worcestershire County Council said: “We know that full fibre broadband is a game-changer, and it’s incredible to see how it’s transforming the Wildgoose Centre! With this boost in connectivity, they can now access essential online resources, expand their reach, and enhance the amazing programs they offer for people in our community. This upgrade is more than just an internet connection—it’s a bridge to opportunity, growth, and progress for Worcestershire’s rural spaces. We’re thrilled to support venues like Wildgoose, where every bit of new technology directly helps change lives and support our local economy.”

Full fibre provides more reliable, resilient, and future-proof connectivity, meaning fewer faults; more predictable, consistent speeds; and enough capacity. It also future proofs the network for years to come.

Martin Williams, Openreach’s regional director, said: “We’re thrilled to have connected the Wildgoose Centre with this significant broadband upgrade. Seeing how they’re using full fibre really does highlight the importance of our fibre build across Worcestershire. The centre is just one example of our work across Worcestershire, where more than 160,000 homes and businesses can now benefit from full fibre.”

The work is all part of Openreach’s £15 billion project to upgrade the UK’s broadband infrastructure - making gigabit-capable technology available to 25 million homes and businesses by the end of 2026.

More than 3,000 Openreach people currently live and work in the West Midlands and the company works closely with a wide range of stakeholders and partners across Worcestershire.

Residents can check their upgrade by visiting the Openreach postcode checker to find out if full fibre is available, and how to contact their broadband provider to switch.

Find out more about Wildgoose Rural Training at Wildgoose Rural Training & Nature Reserve.