39 Windsor Avenue

Merton Abbey

LONDON

SW19 2RR

020 8543 5300

Charity No. 1008028

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CCTV Protection

"Every cloud has a silver lining...", source: from the lyrics of a Thomas the Tank Engine song!

In February 2006, our Garden Project was badly vandalised by boys from a local school.  They uprooted plants (including a banana plant that had taken huge effort to get established), knocked down displays, smashed educational equipment, overturned a table specifically for disabled access and

The boys were apprehended by the police and two of them (out of about six or seven) claimed that they had done the damage.  They were given formal warnings by the police but nothing came of an intention to visit the Farm to repair the damage they caused which was estimated at about £3,000.

As a result of the coverage in the local paper of this nasty incident, a nearby company called Freenet Ltd approached the Farm looking to trial some new CCTV technology.  Led by Steve Van Rensburg, Freenet Ltd installed various cameras and triggering devices across the Farm to give the site increased protection.

The measures have worked successfully alongside the Farm's existing security staff and keep the animals and buildings safe throughout the day and night.

Freenet Ltd valued the chance to use the Farm for the testing.  There are so many quirks and complications on a site like the Farm, with different out-buildings and power sources, difficult areas to cover with cameras and limited funds to pay for a system.  But the Farm and Freenet Ltd worked closely to monitor and install a system that has overcome all the challenges.

From a background in more traditional security systems, Freenet Ltd (using the trading name www.myhome247.co.uk) are now growing rapidly with the new technology.