THREE communities from right across West Devon and East Cornwall can now slip into top gear and race onto the information super highway.

The Calstock parish development trust in East Cornwall, the Winsford Trust near Okehampton and High Moorland Community Action Ltd in Princetown have all been named winners in round one of the BT Community Connections award scheme.

They have all taken delivery of state-of-the-art Internet-ready computers, and BT will also be providing a year's free access to the web.

Jo Dixon of the Calstock Development Trust, which aims to support the local community in developing itself sustainably, said: 'I'm really pleased we've won this, especially as it comes with a year's worth of free phone access — it's brilliant.'

The trust had planned to locate the computer in Gunnislake as a sort of mini cyber café — similar to one already operating in the trust's Calstock office. But Gunnislake Primary School, where the machine was due to be sited, is shortly to undergo major building work and will not be available until September.

Ms Dixon has appealed for anyone willing to provide a temporary home for the Gunnislake Cyber Café to contact her on 01822 834303.

The Winsford Trust runs a day centre at the former Halwill hospital. It includes a doctor's surgery and fitness centre for the rural community and promotes a wide range of community activities.

The Rev Barry Duke of the trust said: 'It will start us on the road to bringing Internet experience to the people in and around Halwill. We hope to use it as a pilot in bringing more computers to the centre and helping more people to have access to the Internet.'

Unfortunately the centre is closed at the moment as a result of the Foot and Mouth crisis.

High Moorland Community Action is a newly set-up group, which is aiming to provide educational, social and leisure activities to the relatively isolated people of Princetown on Dartmoor.

Organiser John Gale said: 'This is the key to the start up — it gives us BT Internet for free and free access to the web. We shall network from that to another seven or eight stations, making it available to all the people of Princetown.'

Round two deadline is April 6. Log onto http://www.btcommunityconnections.com">www.btcommunityconnections.com for more information.