NextGenUs the Ashby de la Launde FTTH Project

Posted: 11th May 2012 by Michael in NextGenUs
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Once upon a time…… the beginnings of the Ashby de la Launde FTTH project have almost a fairy tale feel to them in the light of the last few months of bad – mouthing, insults and worse from someone who does not need to be named, but we must all be fully aware by now.  This is an engineers’ perspective of excellent, the good and what could have been better

THANK YOUS AND ……..

Ashby de la Launde was fortunate to have champions such as Eran , Michael, Will, all of whom generously  gave way leave rights, and all the other people who I did not have the fortune to meet who enabled the project to go forward and the network to be built.  I will always remember the goodwill of the village residents, they could not have been more helpful or enthusiastic and certainly did not deserve to be given the name of peasants by Guy Jarvis.  The fact that he still uses the term today with his cronies proves the old saying about silk purses and sow’s ears.

THE PROJECT

John and I came down to Ashby to ensure that the two road crossings required for the project were installed and  back filled before the road was re – surfaced.  A really good move, the road works were completed  with the full co – operation of the local council, which ensured a really smooth beginning for the project.  (In my experience this does not often happen)!

Some weeks later, the machines arrived, Simon Davison and John  began to dig the first sections of trenches across Michael land and also the main groundwork for the project work. John and Simon built the DVP ( Digital Village Pump),at the rear of the village hall whilst  Steve Bancroft gave his services (and his metal detector), to ensure that as far as reasonably possible nothing of archaeological importance was lost, nor was there any large lump of metal lurking to damage the trenching machinery.

Shortly after, Jason and I arrived to assist in the installation of duct work and the back filling of the trenches whilst Simon and John continued to open up new trenches and prepare them for the duct work to be installed.   During this time, the four of us worked well as a team, informing the residents of progress, and ensuring that the residents were preparing to dig their own trenches for the duct work.  If needed, we helped those people who were unable to sort their own trench, this was community project work at its best.

THEN THE RAIN CAME…..

I thought we had pretty bad rain in East Yorkshire, but I’ve never known ground get  sticky and unworkable so quickly, and stay that way for so long!

The next part of the project entailed digging trenches through the woods at the back of the village hall and on over the road crossing and through Eran’s field.  From there we took the network through Will’s yard and around the back of the village.  There was a leg that led off to RAF Digby for the main feed, were John and Simon built a DVV, (Digital Village Valve).

It was during the rainy season that Guy Jarvis starts visiting the site, then the inevitable run of bad luck started.  It started small with the odd drainage pipe being caught, then a water pipe and to put the icing on the cake, a 3 phase electric cable got damaged; thankfully no one was injured.  I cannot remember if Guy ceased to visit the site, but then the sun came out and all work went well, we started installing the main 24 way duct – then Guy turned up as we were pulling the duct in with the Land Rover.  He decided to give us a hand as it is heavy stuff.  Somehow he managed to put a kink in the duct and how he escaped loosing his fingers will always be a  mystery.  I’m sure that man could cut himself  with a ring spanner!  A very expensive mistake in time and money as we had to install another junction box/splice chamber to fix the break.

CTTS arrived just as Jason and I were winding down our part of the project, they were blowing the fibre optics into the duct work, terminating and testing to ensure the problem free commissioning of the network.   The first part of the community project was completed, Simon, John and Guy installed the CPE equipment in the homes whilst CTTS completed their final checks.

Jason and I left Ashby de la Launde feeling that we had taken part in a really worthwhile project and we thank everyone locally for their patience and good humour.

I wish to make it clear that I do not blame Guy  for the rain, he’s not that clever no matter what he might believe.

 

 

RULES ARE RULES OR DUMB GETS DUMBER

Posted: 9th May 2012 by Michael in Uncategorized
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Good news:
It was a normal day in Sharon Springs , Kansas , when a Union Pacific crew boarded a
loaded coal train for the
long trek to Salina ..

Bad news:
Just a few miles into the trip a wheel bearing became overheated and melted, letting
a metal support drop down
and grind on the rail, creating white hot molten metal droppings spewing down to the
rail.

Good news:
A very alert crew noticed smoke about halfway back in the train and immediately
stopped the train in
compliance with the rules

Bad news:
The train stopped with the hot wheel over a wooden bridge with creosote ties and
trusses.

The crew tried to explain this to Union Pacific management but were instructed not
to move the train!

They were informed that Rules prohibited moving the train when a part was found to
be defective!






Don't ever let common sense get in the way of a good Disaster!



				

				
								
			

		          			

				

					
The past, the present and unfortunately, possibly the future?

				Posted: 4th May 2012 by Michael in NextGenUs

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Could this be the next business of Guy Jarvis and his henchman Darren Weavers?  I pity their customers – or as Guy Jarvis called them in my NextGenus days, “The peasants”!


The evidence looks pretty damning – Neoeon Ltd was/is a company Guy Jarvis owned before NextGenus Ltd and Fibrestream came on the scene, some of the wages were paid to NextGenus from this company at the time I was supposedly employed  by them.  I could never get my paperwork no matter how often I pestered the Financial Director of NextGenus group, nor have I ever received my P45 which is very suspect, and left me in a difficult position re the DWP at the time


Please see images below for the company  ’pedigree’


symmetris broadband Ltd and Neoeon Ltd


 


 


THE PAST, THE PRESENT, AND UNFORTUNATELY PROBABLY THE FUTURE?

				

				
								
			

		          			

				

					
NextGenUs – what it meant, and the future? by Justin Arnold

				Posted: 14th March 2012 by Michael in NextGenUs

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 Thanks to Justin, not only for the excellent article, but for giving his permission for me to use it in entirety.


 He has captured the essence of what NextGenus means to me and many customers.


A 114,000 ton cruise liner ran aground off the coast of Italy in January because of the brash, selfish attitude of the man supposed to be at the helm.


Sound familiar?


NextGenUs has always been about providing an outstanding service to the community, supported by the community. It’s been about us helping each other, supporting our community and seeing that there are better options than a monopoly in this area.


As one of the first NextGenUs customers I have always been fiercely loyal to the brand, knowing that there are those working within the ‘company’ (Simon, Mark) who have invested far more of their time, effort and energy than could ever normally be expected of any other established business. Try getting Karoo to spend 40 minutes sorting out your connection difficulties at 10.30 on a Saturday night and still having time to chat and share a joke.


So is it all over then? No. Well, it needn’t be, because frankly, that’s up to you. And me.


NextGenUs has been a success. It has gathered a significant customer base, has earned a high level of customer loyalty and respect, and has delivered broadband of a speed and quality rarely seen across the country, let alone Humberside.


Yes, NGU Has been a success. But it hasn’t been easy. Setting up a high speed broadband supply of this quality in this area on minimal funding could never be easy, but it’s been done. And it’s growing, and has a very positive future ahead of it. If you want.


You see the problems at the moment aren’t caused by customer dissatisfaction. They’re not caused by a lack of finance, or a lack of decent infrastructure.


The company has been crashed thanks to someone supposed to be at the helm taking his eye off the map, forgetting what a community project is really for, and selling us all cheap.


Are you happy for that to happen? Because whilst we may have all felt the shudder as we hit the rocks today, we are very far from being sunk.


Because what we need right now is stability, commitment, loyalty and strength. What we need right now is to pull together and not to rock the boat.


Leave if you have to. Sign up with another broadband company if you feel your needs will be better served. But that will only help to broaden the damage which has already been caused.


Right now the one guaranteed way to end NGU in Hull is for us, the customers, the community, to abandon ship. Because by leaving, we basically pull the plug on the finances NGU needs to ride through this storm and come out the other side with a stronger crew and a community which has made its voice heard more than ever before, ensuring that it is the community which is placed first, and not short term financial deals which achieve no long term benefits.


Having spoken at length with both Mark and Simon it is clear what we need to do. Yes, my first reaction was to phone four other broadband companies to arrange quotes and installation timeframes. But by following through on any one of those I will be leaving a hole in the NGU customer base, and right now there’s going to be no one coming in to fill that hole.


For every NGU customer who leaves right now, the greater the chance that the rest of us will have no choice, and that the astonishing success of the NGU project in Hull will have been wasted. The extraordinary efforts and commitments of people we all respect such as Simon and Mark will have been for nothing.


Leave if you must. But stay if you can see further than a short-sighted captain who has forgotten the ‘Us’ in NextGenUs.


 


Justin Arnold

				

				
								
			

		          			

				

					
ST Mary’s Beverley

				Posted: 27th February 2012 by Michael in Beverley East Yorkshire

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St Mary’s


Before about 1125, the parishioners would have had their own altar and Priest at the Minster.  Between 1125 and 1150, it was decided to build St Mary’s as a Daughter church.  At this time the church consisted of a chancel, nave and tower.  The church would have been served by one of the Minster’s Canons or his deputy.  The first Vicar was appointed in about 1263 and work resumed enlarging the church by the addition of transepts, aisle, clerestory and turreted West front.


On the 29th April 1520, the tower collapsed; it is thought that it fell onto the nave, killing a number of worshipers who were attending a Sunday service. In the following ten years the tower and nave were rebuilt, much of the work was paid for by the people of Beverley.


St Mary’s has a fascinating history, linked closely with the Guilds of Beverley.  For information on the church in the community today please visit ST Mary’s Beverley

				

				
								
			

		          			

				

					
2011 World Cup Mountain Bike Championship Project

				Posted: 24th February 2012 by Michael in NextGenUs

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A year on we are back in Dalby Forest for the 2011 World Cup Mountain Bike Championship Project. Not much has changed it all started out by me being asked to pick the trailer mast up from Lincolnshire and deliver it to Dalby. After some discussion and me saying there was no way the trailer would be towed until the brakes where looked at by a professional. It was finally decided to have the mast moved by truck to Dalby.


Overall it was much better this time, but we still had major issues with the lack of safety kit and certificates for the mast and general polish for what could have been a high profile project for NextGenUs. Getting this right is such a simple thing it just needs a little time and effort which leads me back to the 2010 project and the phrase “That will do – I think”, was the standard then and it did not change for 2011


I wish all involved with the 2012 project all the best and I just hope it is not 3rd time unlucky



				

				
								
			

		          			

				

					
2010 World Cup Mountain Bike Championship Project

				Posted: 24th February 2012 by Michael in NextGenUs

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Perhaps a sign of things to come!  From the beginning of this project it was crisis management all the way.  Allowing for the inevitable teething problems of a “first time project”, the phrase “That will do – I think”, was the standard.  What seemed like a pretty straight forward deployment of equipment turned into nightmare of faulty brakes on the mast – I’d  been told that it had had a full overhaul, to flat batteries, no safety equipment and no site specific safety.   Despite all that, due to much goodwill and hard work it went very well as  the non employees of NextGenus, myself included and several others including the Forestry Commission, a Health and Safety professional, we managed to make safe and the project went well.


It is to be hoped that lessons have been learnt well and the 2011 Mountain Bike Championship project will run smoothly.


 


 

				

				
								
			

		          			

				

					
NextGenus – The views of a Volunteer and Engineer

				Posted: 20th February 2012 by Michael in NextGenUs

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This is the first in a series of posts about my time with NextGenus UK CIC Ltd (NGU) and subsidiary companies.  The high points and the all too frequent anticlimaxes and disappointments.  It is my personal viewpoint and all comments are made without prejudice to any shareholders, directors or employees past or present.

				

				
								
			

		          			

				

					
North Bar Beverley East Yorkshire

				Posted: 20th February 2012 by Michael in Beverley East Yorkshire

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North Bar


Beverley has always been an ‘open’ town, unlike York and Hull.  However, in the middle years of the 15th century there were Bars at Newbegin, Norwood, North and South or Keldgate


These Bars controlled the main roads into the town.  Only North, Newbegin and Norwood Bars survived into the 16th century.   Without the walls to assist, these Bars could only be used as toll collection points, and for restriction of movement in times of plague, pestilence and local upset.


Newbegin Bar was demolished in 1790; Keldgate Bar was found to be in a very bad state of repair and demolished in 1808.


The North Bar is the earliest surviving brick gateway of its type in the country.  It was built of Beverley made bricks at a total cost to the town of £96 17s 4 ½d.  As it was replacing an earlier structure collections were made in the town towards the cost.


    

  • Some 20 local brick makers produced the bricks including Agnes Tiler and John Mudfysch
    • 

  • 112,300 bricks were used, costing about 3s.7d (18p) per thousand
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  • A Bricklayer was paid 6d a day, a labourer 4d
    • 



 

				

				
								
			

		          			

				

					
Beverley Westwood

				Posted: 20th February 2012 by Michael in Beverley East Yorkshire

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Beverley has four pastures, East and South East of the town, aligning the river Hull are the pastures of Figham and Swinemoor.To the East and South East of the town are the Westwood and Hurn in the form of one large pasture. 


Burton Bushes abutting York Road is all that remains of what were once the extensive woodlands of the Westwood and Hurn. It naturally provided wood for building timber and heating, it also provided an excellent source of income when the Borough finances were low.  Records show that St Mary’s Church was given four oaks to repair the building in 1520.


Chalk taken from the pasture was used for the foundation of Beverley’s streets and for making lime.  The Corporation obtained a regular income from leasing out lime kilns on the Westwood until 1812.  Clay was used for brick making by local brick makers, the North Bar in Beverley town is built with Beverley made bricks.  The signs of this industry are still to be seen in the many hollows and pits that give the pasture its character.


Visitors to the Westwood will notice that there is a Golf Course and Race Course on the pasture; it is understood that the Golf course is quite challenging and popular with visitors.  The Race meetings are attracting increasing interest and it hosts several events and festivals during the year.


The wellbeing of the pastures is overseen by the Pasture Masters, a group of men elected from the Freemen of Beverley each March.  Although the Pasture Act of 1836 clarified the right of the Pasture Masters to administer and enforce their bylaws, it did not state who ‘owned’ the land.  In 1978 the courts decided that the pastures were owned by the then Borough Council; it is now ‘owned’ by the East Riding of Yorkshire Council

				

				
								
			

		
		

	

		

			

								
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