Mayo entrepreneur benefits from RISE Community Fund
National Broadband Ireland is bringing high-speed fibre broadband to homes, farms and businesses across Ireland, regardless of how remote or rural. Pictured, from left: Damien Gallagher, Circet Managing Director (Ireland); Sandra Dinan, NBI Stakeholder Engagement, and PR Manager; Anna Sutcliffe, House of Achill and Tara Collins, NBI Chief Marketing Officer. Picture: Michael McLaughlin
Local entrepreneur and founder of House of Achill, Anna Sutcliffe, who specialises in handcrafted products inspired by the island and the Wild Atlantic Way, has received a quick cash injection to invest in new technology thanks to the RISE Community Fund supported by National Broadband Ireland (NBI).
Established by NBI Chairman, David McCourt, RISE has awarded over 140 cash grants across the country to rural organisations seeking to boost their digital ecosystems. The fund is further supported by corporate sponsors including KN Circet, KPMG, Test Triangle, DreamDev Technologies, and TLI Group.
With a passion for empowering island-based businesses and nurturing a vibrant network of artisans, Anna has spearheaded the creation of a groundbreaking Island Guild together with the Design and Crafts Council Island (DCCI), which is set to launch later this year to serve as a platform to elevate unique craftsmanship of Ireland’s islands. Receiving the cash grant from the RISE Community Fund, Anna is looking to expand her business online in anticipation for soon having access to word-class fibre broadband through NBI’s rollout of the National Broadband Plan.
“Like so many of Ireland’s amazing islands, Achill is home to an incredible number of talented and creative artisan producers," said Anna. "At House of Achill, we’ve successfully built our business by combining our passion for quality artisan products with being active in championing island communities.
“Knowing that NBI’s rollout across the island is underway, it’s exciting to plan for expanding our business by embracing opportunities to grow our reach online. We’re currently creating a new website with more sophisticated functionality that will not only increase our sales, but also support e-networking for other artisan producers. With this grant from RISE, we’re able to invest in taking our business to the next level.”
Some 2,500 premises on Achill Island will imminently be able to connect to the NBI network.
David McCourt, Chairman of NBI and founder of RISE, explained why he was keen to visit the area and give back to the community with these grants.
“At NBI we have the privilege of meeting so many incredible people who help make their rural communities thrive – and Anna from House of Achill is a perfect example.
“We’re delighted to support Anna with her goals to use technology to scale the impact of her business by awarding this grant from the RISE Community Fund, and we’re excited to soon welcome her, and other Achill residents, onto the NBI network in the coming weeks. With over 125,000 rural residents, farms, schools and businesses already connected by NBI, Anna is going to join those who are seeing the transformational benefits of high-speed fibre broadband thanks to the National Broadband Plan.”
NBI is reminding Achill residents that, like Anna, they can also place their order for high-speed fibre broadband which is currently being rolled out across the island by visiting www.nbi.ie.
