1. Who runs the campaign
The campaign is run by Lodestar Networks Ltd, a private limited company registered in England and Wales under company number 17431367. Its registered office is 66 Paul Street, London EC2A 4NA. In these terms, “Lodestar”, “we” and “us” mean Lodestar Networks Ltd.
You must be at least 18 and entitled to use the bank account from which a contribution is sent. A person paying for an organisation confirms that they have its authority.
2. Period and target
The campaign runs for eight calendar weeks. It opens at 00:00 UK time on 8 September 2026 and closes at 23:59 UK time on 2 November 2026. The all-or-nothing target is £1,600.
Only cleared pound-sterling contributions received in the published Lodestar account by the deadline count towards the target. Reversed, recalled, fraudulent, duplicate and late transfers do not count. Any late transfer will be returned in full to the verified originating account using the process in section 6, whether or not the target is reached. The public ledger is evidence of progress, but Lodestar's bank records determine whether money has cleared.
The campaign remains open until the deadline if the target is reached early. This allows everyone the same published contribution period and makes any surplus visible.
3. What a contribution is
A contribution is a voluntary payment to support Lodestar's first community-cell equipment phase. Lodestar is a commercial company, not a charity. A contribution is not a charitable donation and is not eligible for Gift Aid.
It is not a purchase, preorder, deposit, loan, investment, shareholding or regulated savings product. It does not entitle a contributor to equipment, a SIM, service, coverage, priority access, ownership, interest, profit, voting rights or any other reward. Lodestar will provide a contribution acknowledgement on request, not a VAT invoice or charitable tax receipt.
4. How to contribute safely
Contributions are accepted only by pound-sterling bank transfer to the account published at lodestarnetworks.co.uk/campaign. Select a business account and check that Confirmation of Payee returns the name Lodestar Networks LTD. Do not proceed if the name does not match.
Use the reference CELL followed by four characters you choose. After paying, complete the contribution registration form with your email address, amount, date and complete reference. Registration is required so we can reconcile the contribution and contact you if a refund is due. If you do not register, your right to a promised refund remains, but the return may be delayed until you identify the transfer and verify the originating account. Do not put your name, email address or telephone number in the bank reference, and do not provide full bank or card details in the form or by email.
Lodestar will not announce replacement bank details by email, direct message or social media. Check the official HTTPS campaign page every time. Sending money means you agree to the version of these terms displayed when the transfer is made and confirm that you have read the campaign privacy notice.
5. How money will be used
If the target is reached, the intended first phase is the quoted Baicells Nova230i Pro radio and the mounting, Ethernet, power-protection, weatherproofing, earthing and resilience items described on the campaign page. Lodestar will own all equipment bought with campaign money.
Published prices and availability can change. Lodestar may use an installer-approved equivalent, change a supplier, move money between the published categories or adapt the design where reasonably needed for safety, compatibility, licensing, availability or value. The public ledger will explain material departures from the equipment plan.
Campaign money becomes Lodestar company money, recorded separately in the campaign ledger and subject to the refund promises in these terms. We will not spend it before the deadline and will keep enough money available to meet the target-miss refund promise. It is not held as client money or in an escrow service, and a contributor's claim against Lodestar is not protected as a bank deposit by the Financial Services Compensation Scheme.
6. If the target is missed
If less than £1,600 in cleared contributions has been received by the deadline, Lodestar will not spend campaign money on the equipment phase. Every contribution will be refunded in full.
We will begin the refund process promptly. Within 10 working days after the campaign closes, we will either initiate a refund to the originating account using the return route available through our bank or email the registered contributor with the steps needed to verify that account. We will not ask for an online-banking password, PIN, card security code or one-time passcode.
A full refund means the full pound-sterling amount that reached Lodestar's account. Lodestar cannot refund a charge imposed separately by the contributor's bank. Money awaiting verified return details will remain unspent.
If Lodestar cancels the campaign before the deadline, the same full-refund process applies.
7. If the target is reached
If at least £1,600 in cleared contributions has been received by the deadline, the campaign succeeds. Contributions will then normally be final and may be spent or committed for the equipment phase. There is no automatic change-of-mind refund.
If Lodestar decides not to proceed before any campaign money has been spent or irreversibly committed, it will refund the unspent contributions in full. Once money has been spent or irreversibly committed, a delay, relocation, equipment substitution, trial failure or lack of regulatory approval does not automatically create a right to a refund. This does not affect a right the law does not allow us to exclude.
8. Surplus money
Surplus means cleared contributions above £1,600 and any money left because an item costs less than budgeted, is replaced with a lower-cost equivalent, attracts a rebate or is no longer reasonably required.
Surplus will be retained by Lodestar and reinvested in its network. It may be used for further radio, core, backhaul, installation, power, protection, testing, licensing, maintenance, repair or replacement work. The aim is to extend capacity and reduce Lodestar's costs so lower costs can be passed on to users where sustainable. A contribution does not guarantee a particular retail price or personal saving.
9. Technical and regulatory risk
The target funds equipment, not guaranteed coverage or service. Transmitting requires the appropriate Ofcom authorisation and compliance with its site, frequency, power and other conditions. Installation also depends on a suitable site, structural and electrical safety, backhaul, connection to Lodestar's existing LTE core, compatible devices and successful commissioning.
Ofcom may refuse or alter a licence request. Coverage and performance cannot be guaranteed, and any authorised trial may be temporary, non-commercial, non-protected and subject to interference. Lodestar may relocate or repurpose equipment within its network if the proposed site or trial cannot proceed, provided the use remains consistent with the equipment and network purposes described in these terms.
10. Records, receipts and privacy
Lodestar will publish aggregate campaign totals, purchases, refunds and the remaining balance. Supplier receipts and invoices will be published only after permanent redaction of personal information and security-sensitive identifiers. Contributor names, email addresses, bank details, payment references and messages will not be put in the public ledger or another public supporter list.
Original financial records will be kept privately for accounting, tax, fraud prevention and refund administration. How Lodestar uses contributor information is explained in the campaign privacy notice.
11. Errors and requested refunds
If you send the wrong amount, make a duplicate payment or believe a transfer was unauthorised, contact your bank immediately and email hello@lodestarnetworks.co.uk. Do not email full bank or card details.
Outside the guaranteed refund circumstances in section 6, Lodestar may agree to return an identifiable, unspent contribution before funds are committed, but is not obliged to provide a change-of-mind refund. Any refund will go only to the verified originating account. We may refuse or delay a return where needed to prevent fraud, comply with law or resolve a bank recall.
12. Changes, contact and law
We may correct an error, clarify these terms or make a change required by law or banking security. A material change will be dated and published prominently. A contribution remains governed by the version accepted when it was sent, except where a later change is required by law or is more favourable to the contributor. We will not apply a material adverse change retrospectively without the contributor's agreement or remove the target-miss refund promise from a contribution already received.
Questions and complaints can be sent to hello@lodestarnetworks.co.uk or Lodestar Networks Ltd, 66 Paul Street, London EC2A 4NA.
These terms are governed by English law. The courts of England and Wales will have jurisdiction, except that a consumer may also have mandatory rights to bring a claim where they live. Nothing in these terms excludes liability or rights that cannot lawfully be excluded.