Digital Scotland were joined by Police Scotland and members of the British Royal Legion in Turriff last week to welcome the arrival of fibre broadband to the area.

Almost 1,000 more homes and businesses in Turriff are now able to connect to fibre broadband, thanks to the Digital Scotland Superfast Broadband programme.

Turriff’s committee members from the British Royal Legion - George Cruickshank, MBE, and John Smith – joined Police Officers James Duffus and Scott MacKenzie as they helped with the celebrations at a special event on Thursday.

They were joined by Councillor Sandy Duncan, of Turriff and District Ward, and members from the Digital Scotland Superfast Broadband programme to unveil one of the new street cabinets that will serve part of the town.

There was also a special surprise visit from Digital Scotland’s ‘Father Fibre’ – a distant cousin of Saint Nick himself – who is helping to bring a faster fibre Christmas to homes and businesses across Scotland.

The properties in Turriff join more than 56,600 homes and businesses in Aberdeenshire which are now able to access fibre broadband through the Digital Scotland roll-out. Building on BT’s commercial roll-out, it means that 2,200 homes and businesses in the town can now access the high-speed technology.

Other areas where fibre has gone live thanks to the programme include Aberchirder, Banff, Huntly, Fyvie and Laurencekirk – with more areas planned in the coming months as engineers from BT’s local network business Openreach continue work on the ground.

The latest premises are among more than 475,000 across Scotland which can now access fibre broadband services at speeds of up to 80Mbps* as part of the £410 million Digital Scotland rollout. The project underpins the Scottish Government’s aim of delivering world class connectivity by 2020.

Fibre broadband enables multiple users in a home or business to access the internet, download and share large files at the same time more quickly than ever before. In order to

take advantage of the higher speeds now available, residents should contact their service provider.

Police Scotland were at the launch to help raise awareness of their online campaign to keep everyone safe this Christmas. There’s lots of advice about staying safe online, at home or out and about with friends and family at http://www.scotland.police.uk/keep-safe/festive-safety/

Police Sergeant Lorraine Mackie said: "Christmas is a time for relaxing and celebrating, however, it’s also of vital importance to stay safe during the season. A faster internet connection will help people to prepare for journeys, get advice on keeping their homes secure and stay safe when out with friends and family. More information can be found on our website (http://www.scotland.police.uk/keep-safe/festive-safety/)."

Members of the public were also able to attend a special fibre broadband drop-in event during the town’s Christmas lights switch-on. The Digital Scotland Superfast Broadband team was on hand to bring residents up to speed with the technology and provide advice on areas such as signing up with a service provider.

Councillor Sandy Duncan, of Turriff and District Ward, said: "It’s exciting news for Turriff and surrounding communities that a number of households and businesses are able to connect to fibre broadband. As the roll-out evolves across the area, this service will provide many opportunities for residents.

"It was great that the local police officers in Turriff were able to join us to celebrate its arrival. I was also happy to hear that the drop-in event during the town’s Christmas festivities was a success and that residents took the opportunity to hear about the benefits they can expect when signing up with a service provider."

George Cruickshank, MBE, from the Royal British Legion said: "It was a great opportunity for our Legion members to assist with the launch of fibre broadband in Turriff. I and the other members look forward to seeing what it will bring to the town and the opportunities it will have for us – such as keeping in touch with our fellow comrades anywhere across the world."

Sara Budge, programme director for Digital Scotland Superfast Broadband, said: "With homes and businesses in Turriff being able to connect fibre broadband, residents will see a positive boost in what they can achieve online, once signing up with a service provider.

"It was fantastic having the Legion members and local police help us with our celebrations and enforcing that it’s vital that users keep aware of online safety during the Christmas period."

BT is investing £126 million in the Digital Scotland programme, in addition to its commercial rollout of fibre broadband in Scotland.

Liz Mallinson, BT Scotland fibre broadband director, said: "Hundreds more people in Turriff now have access to high-speed fibre broadband thanks to the Digital Scotland project—and many may still have time to get connected to their best ever speed by Christmas."

Local people can check the interactive map on the Digital Scotland website (/whereandwhen) to find out if they can get the service and further information is also available on Twitter @ScotSuperfast or Facebook at www.facebook.com/scotlandsuperfast