All Saints Church provides spectacular Solent views

Thanks to a grant of £1,500 which was awarded to All Saints Church in Ryde last year, Isle of Wight residents and worldwide viewers alike are now able to view a live stream of the town and Pier. The camera slowly pans 180 degrees allowing viewers to see Ryde Pier, the Solent Forts, the Spinnaker Tower in Portsmouth and parts of Southampton.

The grant was awarded to the church by Ryde Town Council and was used to purchase the camera and equipment for it. It is hoped that the webcam will help efforts to raise funds for the church via online advertising.

Dave Russel, former ITV reporter and now managing director of Wight Media dreamt up the idea ten years ago and is now proud that Wight Media are powering the site for All Saints church:

“I have always loved the building, which is starting to show its age and needs preserving for future generations. It’s taken that long (ten years) for the reduced cost and technology to become available.”

Due to health and safety, members of the public are no longer allowed to visit the top of All Saints spire, so it allows everyone to take in the breathtaking views. The camera is even capable of panning and zooming to cover sporting events or breaking news in the Solent.

Vicar of All Saints Church, Canon Graham Morris has praised the camera and it’s fundraising potential which has been backed by Tesco who have provided a TV for churchgoers to view inside the building:

“We’re hoping through sponsorship and donations we can start some long overdue projects to restore some of our stained glass windows and get some urgent maintenance done on the church organ.”

You can watch the live stream of Ryde here – having issues with buffering? Find out about our latest offer.