Three new base stations have been set up in Ewyas Herold to help this small Herefordshire village finally get mobile signal.
Ewyas Herold is part of the 2% of the UK devoid of any mobile coverage. But that may be about to change for the Herefordshire village, as three small base stations have been placed on the roofs of the pub, the local school, and the doctor’s surgery.
Graham Powell, a local county councillor, has been campaigning for months for the village to finally receive mobile signal. He said: “In terms of mobile phone coverage, it’s a case of the haves and the have-nots. And the divide between the two is increasingly growing. We have to bridge that gap and anything we can do is worthwhile.”
Mr Powell entered politics in order to improve the phone and broadband coverage in the village. He focused on emergencies as an important reason to bring mobile coverage to the area, stating: “I’d hate for someone to have an accident and not be able to call for help.”
The village’s severe lack of mobile signal has also had a big impact on the teenagers living in the area. 16-year-old Tash Bagley said: “For me, getting the proper signal when it’s all switched on, is 10 out of 10 in importance. If I can’t contact my friends I feel like they can make plans without me.”
Perhaps down to the fact that 35% of the village’s population are aged over 60, life without a mobile coverage hasn’t been all that terrible for some. Aubrey Broome, who lives on the outskirts of the village, said: “I’m not going to become one of those people you see, looking at the phone and whatnot when they’re in the pub.”
Mr Broome added: “There is a phone box in the village, it even accepts cards. We’re not completely in the dark ages, you know.”
Image: Flickr
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