IMPROVEMENTS to broadband are expected for people living in a rural Ludlow community that have been struggling to get online access.

As a result of a new rollout of gigabit broadband by provider Kloud Nine, Clee Hill will benefit from improved broadband infrastructure.

One man living in the village says this change is a long time coming, and is celebrating the benefits it will bring.

Craig Vaughan, who lives in the village, said: "We moved to the countryside from Birmingham about seven years ago for a slow pace. What we didn't realise was that is exactly what we'd get in terms of broadband.

"Most of the country having superfast fibre broadband is no consolation to those stuck in the dark ages. This is a real issue for people. Broadband has become essential for everyday tasks."

Kloud Nine is a Warrington-based  firm that specialises in delivering broadband services to hard-to-reach or forgotten communities.

Mr Vaughan says the company's arrival in Clee Hill has been met with a mixture of appreciation and wariness by locals.

"There's been a degree of scepticism," said Mr Vaughan. "But Kloud Nine has been exceptional."

He launched a campaign to bring the broadband provide to his side of the village, as well as the centre of the village where it had already been rolled out. 

"I heard they'd rolled out to the centre of the village. They told me if I could prove there was interest in my lane they'd look at bringing the service to us," he said.

Rising to the challenge, Mr Vaughan set about the task of delivering hundreds of leaflets and knocking on doors to get other locals on side. He even offered to have a pole set up on his land.

He said: "I met some resistance, but once I'd explained that my neighbours would start enjoying speeds up to 100 times faster, I started to get traction. I held a community meeting in my garden and two Kloud Nine reps were sent out to us at short notice.

"I'd urge other people in Clee Hill to go to www.kloud9.co.uk/cleehill or to pop along to the village hall on Wednesday, August 7 between 4 and 7pm to meet the Kloud Nine team."