The second of what are scheduled to become regular annual meetings of Settle and District Community News heard that the past year had been a good one for the magazine in all regards.
The meeting held at the Quaker Meeting House in Kirkgate on 7th October was attended by readers and distributors of the magazine, as well as the management committee.
Editor John Drake reported that he was pleased with the way in which Community News was building up strong links with many local organisations so that the magazine became a way in which the community could have a conversation with itself. He cited, as an example, the link with Settle Stories that had contributed both the centrespread and cover artwork to the October issue in advance of its story festival that took place in November. He also praised the way in which other members of the group producing the magazine were now taking on more of the editing work, easing the burden on himself, something that had been a problem earlier in the year.
Phil Hinde, who chaired the meeting, stressed the importance of regular advertising from local businesses as both a way of ensuring the magazine covered its costs and as an important means by which enterprises could raise awareness among the local community.
Annie Gammon, who organises the distribution, praised the support received from all the volunteer deliverers and especially the lead distributors who organise delivery in different communities. Covering the whole of the area from Selside to Hellifield remained a big challenge, especially reaching some isolated dwellings. Suggestions made at the meeting, included getting support from local walking groups and raising awareness of the fact that the magazine was now available online soon after publication.
The financial report provided by Paul Cochrane showed that we covered costs in the past year but remain short of our ambition to ensure that there are sufficient reserves to cover any emergencies.
Tasks for the coming year include setting up a ‘style guide’ to help the team that edits contributions ensure we are consistent in things like the use of capital letters and the way we set out dates; recruiting more contributors and distributors; and, especially, reaching out to potential advertisers, showing the real value that they get from promoting their businesses through Community News.
The current management team of Phil Hinde, John Drake, Annie Gammon, Mike Smith, Paul Cochrane and Barry White was re-elected by acclaim and a number of offers of help with production were gratefully received.
Community News will be taking part in the big Christmas Lights Switch On in Settle Market Place on 29th November. You can come along and let us know what you think of the magazine.
