BUSINESS BIO
Where are you based? Alston Moor, Cumbria
Key business markets: Broadband internet, web design and consultancy
Annual turnover: £250,000
% of turnover which is trading income (as opposed to grants): 50/50 trading/grants
Number of employees: 6
ambassadors
- OTHER AMBASSADORS
- Victor Adebowale
- Jean Jarvis
- Matt Stevenson-Dodd
- Claire Dove
- Kresse Wesling
- Maria Donoghue-Mills
- « VIEW ALL AMBASSADORS
Daniel Heery
- Cybermoor
- Manager
- Alston Moor, Cumbria
Daniel Heery’s technology enterprise, Cybermoor, has turned an internet desert into a flourishing example of how innovation can transform access to services, from shopping to healthcare
Alston Moor in Cumbria is England’s highest market town, and one of its most remote. It was always going to be an unlikely place for conventional broadband connections, yet its very remoteness was precisely why those connections were needed.
In 2001, the social enterprise Cybermoor began changing that. With £1.2m of government funding, it set about buying a PC for every household, with the rest being spent on setting up a wireless broadband network.
“The distances around here are challenging,” says project manager and Social Enterprise Ambassador Daniel Heery. “It’s typically a 25 mile trip to get to the local council offices. There’s no direct bus, and it takes about half a day. We showed that by setting up wireless broadband we could dramatically improve people’s access to services.”
Though initially government funded, Cybermoor has since harnessed its network to create new business ventures. Residents are charged between £8 and £20 per month for their subscription, which generates some of its income. The real innovation, though, is the way Cybermoor is finding new ways to deliver services in areas such as healthcare.
One of these projects, funded by the Department of Health Social Enterprise Pathfinder fund, is looking at how internet services can reduce the need for hospital visits.
“We’re looking at ways of bringing patient care closer to home,” says Daniel.
Having broadband has made this a more attractive area to move to. It has put Alston Moor on the map, and has changed the lives of our residents.
Using ‘telehealth’ equipment, patients would also be able to take their blood pressure, for example, with data fed back to a control centre where nurses are informed if the readings look as though a patient needs attention. This frees up nurses to spend more time with patients who have more demanding conditions, and saves patients and nursing staff from having to make unnecessary journeys.
Cybermoor’s trading activities also cover the sale of computer consumables, hire of equipment, consultancy for local authorities and Government agencies.
Less than a decade ago, Alston Moor was virtually cut off from the internet; today, Cybermoor has achieved the highest penetration of broadband of any rural area in England. This has brought about huge changes in the way people live their lives.
“It’s created access to all kinds of services, which were out of reach before Cybermoor” says Daniel. “They can do their shopping online, for instance. Previously you would have to go to Newcastle to buy a book or CD, and now you can get anything delivered. It’s also meant that more people can work from home, and that has impacted on the local property market.
"Having broadband has made this a more attractive area to move to. It has put Alston Moor on the map, and has changed the lives of our residents.”
Quick Facts
- 72% of Alston Moor residents have used a PC to access training from home.
- 14 jobs have been created and at least three businesses have been attracted into the area through the initiative.
- In an area virtually cut off from the internet a decade ago, Cybermoor has now achieved the highest penetration of broadband in any rural area in England.
