A FREE town centre wi-fi scheme is up and running in Kendal.

The pilot project has been developed by South Lakeland District Council (SLDC) and will run for one year.

The project is in line with ideas put forward by Kendal Town Council and aims to help encourage people to spend more time in the town centre and support economic activity on the high street.

It was tested over the busy Kendal Festival of Food weekend and tests are still ongoing to ensure the most effective coverage, but web browsers are being encouraged to try out the new service from this week.

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It is the first scheme of its type in South Lakeland and means anyone can access free wi-fi in the main shopping streets in Kendal town centre.

Users will be entitled to up to two hours free usage every day, with the option to pay for additional time after the two hours has elapsed.

Wi-fi antennas have been installed at five key locations in the town centre and will be linked to each other via a wireless ‘bridge’.

Anyone logging on to the free wi-fi will see a welcome screen, which gives information allowing users to easily find shops, restaurants, attractions, events and services in the town.

Users will be asked to provide their name and email address to log in to the free wi-fi and they will be able to log in to more than one device with the same email address. The data will not be passed on to any third parties.

The development of free wi-fi will help support the council’s key Council Plan priorities to create opportunities for sustainable economic growth and help towns and villages to thrive commercially.

Cllr Giles Archibald, SLDC portfolio holder for town centres and small business, said: “The improved speed and accessibility of internet in the town centre will create a digital platform where businesses can increase awareness and engage with their customers and provides an enhanced town centre visitor experience.

“It will also provide more capabilities for social interaction to help make the town centre an attractive meeting place.

“This is a pilot scheme and the wi-fi is still in a testing phase, so coverage may not be perfect, but we are keen that people should give it a try and give us their views on the service so we know how we can improve.

"If the Kendal trial proves successful we will then consider rolling out free wi-fi to other towns in the district.’’

For further details about the free town centre wi-fi scheme visit: www.southlakeland.gov.uk/kendal-wifi