Community has always been at the heart of Freedom Fibre, and the company takes pride in the active involvement in areas where we are building our full-fibre broadband network.
In 2023, we started a new project to strengthen our ties with the community in Irlam – the home of Freedom Fibre. Recognising the potential for art to serve as a unifying force, we sought to commission artworks for our active cabinets, turning them into visual landmarks that represent the community.
Although hiring a designer from the start would have been the more conventional option, the team at Freedom Fibre wanted to showcase local talent and get the local community involved. Therefore, we contacted local artists, businesses, and schools to see if there was any interest in contributing to the project.
We were delighted when Springwood Primary School in Irlam reached out, enthusiastic about their pupils being involved in the project. Springwood Primary School “serves the whole City of Salford and provides specialist education for students with education health care plans, some of whom have complex or challenging needs.”
Through collaborating with Springwood’s teachers, a few select Freedom Fibre members headed down to the school’s Irlam campus. Armed with felt pens and hand prints they had a wonderful afternoon with students and teachers, creating colourful and personal designs that we would eventually feature on the active cabinet.
On the 26th of April, the artwork was revealed in an event attended by Freedom Fibre CEO, Neil McArthur, Freedom Fibre’s Head of Build Assurance, Steven Warner, as well as teachers and students from Springwood Primary.
In addition to thanking Springwood Primary and their students for their involvement in the project, we would like to thank two local businesses for their help in bringing this cabinet to life. Works By MerÓ, who helped turn the handprints into a digital design, and Wyke who created the wrap for the active cabinet.
A representative from Springwood Primary said:
"Pupils and staff at Springwood Primary School in Irlam were delighted to be contacted by Freedom Fibre to work collaboratively with them on their active cabinet project...We discussed several options and chose to go with our Springwood school values tree as inspiration, so each pupil decorated a handprint to be a leaf on a tree. When we were invited to go and see the cabinet box being unveiled we couldn't wait, and wow! it is absolutely amazing to see our artwork come to life in our local community!"
We are so proud of the students and the artwork they have created for us, and we are delighted to be able to display this art so publicly. If you’re out in Irlam, make sure you make a trip to see the active cabinet!