A community broadband scheme, which is aiming to bring high-speed connections to rural areas, has installed its first fibre cabinet in South Norfolk.

Eastern Daily Press: Volunteers of B4RN East Anglia who have launched a social enterprise to bring 1,000Mbps speeds to rural villages. From left, David Evans, Michael Davey, Adrian Gidlow, and Lesley and Chris Marsden. Picture: DENISE BRADLEYVolunteers of B4RN East Anglia who have launched a social enterprise to bring 1,000Mbps speeds to rural villages. From left, David Evans, Michael Davey, Adrian Gidlow, and Lesley and Chris Marsden. Picture: DENISE BRADLEY (Image: Archant)

B4RN East Anglia, an offshoot of the Lancashire-based Broadband for the Rural North project, has placed the cabinet at Scole Village Hall, near Diss on the Norfolk-Suffolk border, with the hall being the first building in Norfolk to benefit from the not-for-profit scheme.

B4RN encourages communities to invest in laying fibre cable so they can access 1,000 megabits per second speeds in areas which are not otherwise served by major providers.

To mark this phase of the project B4RN East Anglia called on villagers to bring their spades for a display of solidarity in Scole as the work got under way.

It follows in the footsteps of a successful project in Lancashire which has connected more than 20 parishes to the service.

Eastern Daily Press: B4RN East Anglia director David Evans with a piece of fibre optic cable, used for transmitting 1,000Mbps broadband. Picture: DENISE BRADLEYB4RN East Anglia director David Evans with a piece of fibre optic cable, used for transmitting 1,000Mbps broadband. Picture: DENISE BRADLEY (Image: Archant)