The Porthcurno Telegraph Museum
The Porthcurno Telegraph Museum is a unique and world famous landmark destination, showcasing the spot at which telegraph cables first connected the UK to India in 1870.
Now a thriving visitor destination and a mecca for researchers and students, Porthcurno is operated by a team of 13 full and part-time staff.
With support from actnow reach, Porthcurno have recently improved their use of broadband and ICT to increase their efficiency and profitability.
Development Manager, Tim Wotton, explains: ‘We have been able to network our eight computers, all of which were previously standalone PCs. This has changed the way we work, massively improving communication between us.
‘For example, we can all now share calendar and diary information, so we all know what everyone else is doing at any point. This saves us time and means that the front desk staff, in particular, can immediately tell an enquirer whether a particular staff member is in the office or when they will be.
‘It also means that we can share documents and, for example, all work on the same document together, improving the level of collaboration and sharing of ideas. In turn, this is having a positive impact on the extent to which we are working as a team.’
Tim continues: ‘The new network is also allowing us to connect to a higher grade of printer, with greater functionality, so we are now able to carry out more of our printing and copying in-house, whereas previously we would have had to use an outside supplier, so this is also saving us time and money.’
As well as benefits derived from having a new network, Porthcurno is enjoying the flexibility of having a wireless broadband connection.
Tim says: ‘With wireless, we can work anywhere in the building, which is a huge advantage in such a rambling building. And when the weather is fine, we can take the laptops outside and enjoy the amazing view of the beach!’
Tim says ‘Having a wireless laptop is also an advantage when I go to meetings as now I can stop off at a WiFi hotspot and catch up with emails and so on, wherever I am rather than having to wait until I get back to the office. This means I can provide a speedier turnaround and generally increase efficiency.’
‘As the birthplace of global communications, we are delighted that the actnow reach programme has enabled the museum not just to talk about the past but also put modern communications technology into action. Its interesting to us that while Porthcurno was the home of the Victorian internet, support from actnow has once again given us the chance to have a truly global reach, allowing us to purchase the equipment to make the most of the internet and our website.
‘As a rural business, the internet has allowed us to overcome some of the challenges of location – ensuring we can work effectively and efficiently with suppliers, funders and partners. Through broadband, we are able to send and receive pictures and large files, reducing the amount of time we spend travelling to meetings, reducing our costs and letting us get on with our business.
‘Responding to public enquiries is a really important part of our work. Now people can receive the information and pictures they want in seconds rather than days. Broadband has transformed the service we can provide.’
For further information about the support available under actnow reach or to apply for funding, please call Stephen Caen at actnow on 0800 800 935 or email reach@actnowcornwall.co.uk
actnow reach is funded by the Rural Cornwall and Isles of Scilly Partnership and Cornwall Enterprise
