Our aim is to provide free access to WI-FI for visitors to Mansfield Town. We want to ensure Mansfield remains competitive with our neighbouring towns.

To have a thriving high street it needs to be vibrant, clean, safe, and modern. With free Wi-Fi we'll be an information hub for visitors, with no need to rush home to find things out, surf the net or keep in touch with friends. It can all be done while shopping, eating and drinking, or relaxing in the town.

Alongside free Wi-Fi, we'll provide signage with Quick Response (QR) codes that visitors can scan and be directed to exciting information about the town, from the history of certain buildings and areas to what events may be happening in the town.

What we'll deliver:

• Install routers on lamposts to provide Wi-Fi
• Market the free Wi-Fi for all visitors, giving access to the Mansfield Town app on Android and iOS
• Give those who contribute a thank you certificate showing their contribution to the community Wi-Fi
• Offer advertising space for businesses
• Run workshops for visitors to the town on how to access / use the Wi-Fi in the town

Why it's a great idea:

Free Wi-Fi will encourage visitors to stay longer in our town. They'll be able to surf the net and stay in touch with friends, while shopping and socialising.

It will also give visitors the opportunity to freely access information about the town and it's history, shopping offers or the latest events. This will be particularly useful to tourists to the area who will easily be able to access the free Mansfield Town App and navigate themselves around the town.

Mansfield is a beautiful historic town but has suffered from negative perceptions. With free W-Fi we can celebrate its history, whilst at the same time bringing people into our modern 21st Century town that has so much to offer both residents and new visitors. It will also show the town's vibrancy to potential new businesses looking to establish themselves in the town.

Free Wi-Fi can also open up opportunities for independent retailers and market traders as well as being used for better CCTV and bigger events.

Steps to get it done:

• Manage its delivery through Mansfield BID and Town Team
• Set up workshops in conjunction with the local college to teach people about Wi-Fi
• Commission a provider for the installation of the Wi-Fi system
• Develop a fun launch day for all to promote and market the Wi-Fi

The Mansfield BID agrees should the project financially over run this will be secured by BID budget