Broadband boost for island monks

The monks of Caldey Island sell their perfumes on the internet

An island community of monks were so fed up with their slow internet connection, they've gone broadband.

The Cistercian monks live on Caldey Island, three miles off the coast of Tenby in Pembrokeshire.

The self sustaining community sells homemade perfume and sweets over the internet for their income.

Father Daniel said: "Patience is one of the characteristics of monastic life, but even the patience of the Brothers was being tested by our slow internet".

Over the last five years, the monks internet shop has increased its turnover by 100%.

But their slow dial-up connection was hampering their business.

So they worked with a local telecommunications firm who have used a signal from a communications tower on the mainland to transmit wireless broadband to the island.

"Broadband access has made a huge difference to our internet usage," said Father Daniel.

"We knew we needed a faster connection, but we had almost given up trying to find a workable solution which would give us an internet connection at speeds enjoyed by others on the mainland.

"We have many plans to develop our commercial activities now we have a modern, high speed communications link," he said.

Broadband on the island will help the monks sell their goods online

The monks' wireless broadband is transmitted to the island by TFL Group from their communications tower at Pentlepoir on the mainland.

Jonathan England, from telecommunications firm TFL Group said: "We are absolutely delighted to have been able to provide the community at Caldey Abbey with state-of-the-art wireless broadband access."

Ben Childs, the estate manger on Caldey, said the internet shop helped to support the island during the winter, after the tourists have left.

"It's crucial to our needs and broadband will help the speed up things," he said.

Monks first settled on the island just off the Pembrokeshire coast near Tenby in the 6th Century.

The present Cistercian order moved into the monastery from Scourmont Abbey in Belgium in 1929.