New West Berkshire villages newsletter is out
A new monthly newsletter titled Villages' News is now serving local communities.
A network of dedicated volunteers recently delivered hard copies of the first issue to hundreds of villagers around Aldermaston, Beenham, Brimpton, Midgham, Wasing and Woolhampton.
The free newsletter, printed by Nova Press at Thatcham House, will be published every month except for January.
The residents behind its creation are Cathy Jones for the villages of Aldermaston and Wasing, Brenda Scott for Brimpton and advertising, Sarah Henderson for Midgham and Woolhampton and Pat Owen for Beenham.
They hope the free newsletter will promote community spirit and cohesion, particularly among elderly and less tech savvy readers still eager to consume news both sides of the A4 after the previous Parishes Magazine ceased publication.
"It seems to have been well received," said Mrs Owen, from Beenham. "People without internet and many other people are much happier reading a paper copy, and it's all easily recyclable.
"People have been very keen to advertise in their local magazine, so that's great too. That's where the revenue comes from to cover costs, but it's not for profit anyway. We're all volunteers."
But one entry called 'City Boy' proved divisive among readers. The satirical column is written from the perspective of an obnoxious rich city businessman surmising the 'realities' of rural life.
While some readers appreciated the humour, others considered it inappropriate and misplaced and took to social media to express their concern.
Mrs Owen added: "It was a surprise to receive some negative responses to the 'City Boy' article. It really wasn't meant to be taken seriously.
"But it seems to have encouraged people to write articles for Villages' News and that's great. It's really lovely when fresh blood comes in with articles. In fact, we have had several history nuggets and things like that starting to be offered.
"It's [Beenham] a vibrant little village. We're very fortunate. There's a lot of young people in the village, which is nice."
Parish councils have offered their support, but the editors plan to sustain the publication going forwards with advertising revenue.
