Local Artists Paint Some of Freedom Fibre’s UK Broadband Cabinets

Alternative network operator Freedom Fibre, which has already rolled out their full fibre (FTTP) gigabit broadband ISP network to cover 300,000 UK premises and aspires to cover 2 million in the future, has engaged local artists and school children in the Irlam (Salford) area to help give their street cabinets a colourful lick of paint.

Most broadband street cabinets are fairly industrial looking and adopt a single colour, which usually sits somewhere between dark green and beige. But the act of engaging community artists to help give these structures a different appeal is a trend that has, in recent years, been growing in popularity.

For example, over the past couple of years we’ve witnessed various colourful examples from the likes of Ogi (here), Virgin Media (here), WightFibre (here) and many more. The same can now be said of Freedom Fibre after they sought to commission artworks for their active cabinets in parts of Irlam.

“Although hiring a designer from the start would have been the more conventional option,” said the announcement, 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.”

The first cabinet to be given a new-look came from designs put forward by the pupils of Springwood Primary School, which was officially unveiled at the end of last week. Two local businesses also helped to bring the art to life on the cabinet – Works By MerÓ, who helped turn the handprints into a digital design, and Wyke who created the wrap for the active cabinet.

“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!,” said a spokesperson for the network operator. We suspect more cabinets in the area will soon follow suit.