Free wi-fi Internet now offered at Redland Library

color:black"> has announced it is launching almost 40 free

wi-fi spots around the city, including one at Redland library.

In total, 37 free Wi-Fi hotspots were launched this week as part

of the Connecting Bristol programme.

As well as libraries and council buildings, there will also be

Wi-Fi hotspots in public areas such as St Nicholas Market, parts of Ashton

Court and Lockleaze Adventure Playground have also been Wi-Fi enabled, so

residents can go online when they’re out and about around the city.

Council leader Barbara Janke said, “Around fifteen per cent of

people in Bristol say they have never been online. We are trying to change this

and make the internet accessible for everyone who wants to use it.

“Going online can help people do so much more - whether it’s

simply keeping in touch with friends and family, comparing prices and services,

paying your bills, or applying for jobs, you can save time, money and hassle by

doing it online.”

The Wi-Fi hotspots were launched during the national Get Online

Week, which aims to give everyone the chance to get online. A further 15

hotspot areas are also in the pipeline for the city over the next few months.

For a map of the council’s free Wi-Fi hotspot areas click here.

The council is also launching a scheme so that residents who want

a computer but can’t afford one can get access to a low cost one. The new

Recycled Computers scheme will see surplus council computers being refurbished

and made available either for free or a low cost to residents who could not

otherwise afford to buy a computer.

Councillor Janke says, “We want Bristol to be an inclusive and

connected digital city, where anyone who needs a computer at home can have one

and it’s easy to get help to get connected to the internet. Recycling our

redundant computers and giving them a new lease of life is much better than

sending them to landfill and we hope that local businesses will follow our

example and join the scheme by donating their old PCs and IT equipment.”

The council is aiming to supply around 1,000 computers in the

first year. The scheme will be building on the success of the previous

government-funded Home Access Initiative, which helped 2,500 low-income Bristol

households with school-aged children to access the internet at home. The scheme

is being delivered by local community based company, Byteback, on behalf of the

council.

To register for a Recycled Computer, visit

www.connectingbristol.org/recycledcomputers or send your name, address and telephone

number to Recycled Computers (CH/404), FREEPOST SWB535, Bristol BS1 5BR.