IT entrepreneur James Hamilton used to hang around Bootle Strand when he was a kid and now he says he’s proud to use his expertise to install superfast broadband in the area. Tony McDonough reports

Liverpool IT specialist Halcyon has teamed up with ITS to install superfast broadband into Bootle Strand shopping centre.

And Halcyon founder James Hamilton is particularly proud to have delivered the job in an area where he used to hang around as a kid. He said: “Working on this project really helped me see what I have achieved in my career so far.”

Bootle Strand and the surrounding area is undergoing a major transformation pushed forward by Sefton Council, which acquired The Strand in 2017. This project is being underpinned by £20m of Government funding.

Sefton has already created the Salt and Tar live music venue nearby, which has just secured a further £500,000 funding, and now work is under way transforming The Strand shopping centre itself.

The council will partially demolish the Strand and redesign it to create new leisure, education and health services and introduce more green spaces.

Digital connectivity is at the heart of the regeneration and Halcyon and ITS were brought in to install 10gbps lease lines at The Strand to provide tenants with superfast broadband connections.

“The Strand is such a familiar place to me,” explained James. “It is somewhere everyone knows and it has been sad to see it decline over the last few years. The regeneration project is incredible and I’m proud to be playing my part in it.

READ MORE: Watch video flythrough of Bootle Strand transformation 

“Fast digital connectivity is no longer a luxury. It is essential for businesses and essential for people to be able to access all the services they need to. This work we have carried out will provide infrastructure that is critical to the regeneration plan.”

In October LBN revealed how Halcyon, based at Mann Island on Liverpool waterfront, is close to breaking through the £1m turnover barrier and is pushing forward with international expansion.

James leads a seven-strong team which provides a range of outsourced IT services to more than 120 clients. His co-director, Tom Woods started as an apprentice at the firm just five years ago.

Halcyon is also expanding overseas with the opening of an office in Dubai. Revenues are up 13% in the current financial year and James is targeting a 30% growth rate over the next couple of years.