A PARISH councillor has launched a campaign to get his village up to speed.

Cllr Paul France, 35, of Keysbrook, who set up the parish council's website in April, is urging villagers to help bring BT's broadband service into the district - and he is already more than half-way to his target.

Cllr France explained: 'We are up to 130 on the off icial BT website but there are another eight names to add to the list - we need 250 names to get to the trigger level for the village to go on-line.'

Cllr France retired from the Post Off ice in 1995 after being diagnosed with muscular dystrophy. Since then he has done voluntary work.

An occupational therapist from Social Services who visited him in 1996 lent him her old laptop - and he has had an interest in computers ever since.

His condition is progressive and he has become increasingly home-based, at times housebound - the Internet has opened doors and enabled him to continue to keep busy and work voluntarily from home.

Cllr France has been e-mailing residents and businesses with

registration forms to fill in and pass on. Home-made posters adorn the local shops.

BT is supplying him with leaf lets, posters and stickers to help raise awareness and a team of volunteers is ready to circulate the leaf lets throughout the village.

Cllr France created the Tattenhall and District Parish Council website, www.tattenhallpc.org.

It includes a page dedicated to the broadband campaign, with links to Chester City Council's website and its campaign to 'Connect Chester'.

Cllr France said: 'A lot of local businesses are really going to benefit from having the speed of access to communicate with other businesses.

'I'm hoping to start my own webdesigning business and broadband will be vital for me.

'Friends and neighbours have been so supportive - they are going out issuing posters and flyers so that people are aware of the campaign.

'The parish council website has so far proved very popular since it was set up - we've had 650 hits so far.' If you would like to subscribe to Cllr France's broadband campaign, call him on 01829 771266 or e-mail paul@keywebsonline.co.uk.