We’re really pleased to be able to share the fantastic ‘Village Voice‘ with you online! Check back towards the end of each month as the latest edition is added to our files.
In the spring of this year, 2017, we entered the National Parish Magazines Competition, and are thrilled to announce that in the results issued in November, out of over 410 entries in the A4 size category we came 4th overall and were winners in the ‘ Best Quality Print ‘ class. (We had entered three times in the past and our best achievement previously was to achieve 17th overall in 2013)
“VILLAGE VOICE” – A Brief History
The first edition of “Village Voice” appeared in April 2000 as a four page mono publication with a sub heading “Newsletter of Belton with Browston Parish Council”, it quickly doubled in size and a coloured outside cover followed in 2002. There was a gradual increase in the number of pages and expansion of the area to include Burgh Castle, Fritton and St. Olaves in its doorstep coverage. A wider emphasis on accepting items from local groups and organisations as well as articles of community interest and stories in a “lighter vein” were included. For a while there was a considerable growth in size when it was agreed to work within the framework of the “Village View” magazines published by our then printers, Advision. However on their closure we reverted to 20 pages (now 28 or more usually 32) which seems to be the way forward and have a successful working relationship with Blackwells at Great Yarmouth, as our printers.
After a few years Village Voice separated from the Parish Council. It now operates as a very successfully true community publication thanks to the hard work of its management board and especially our late editor Malcolm Scott who saw it develop from the start and produced and edited every edition until his illness in the Autumn of 2011 – we all owe him a great debt of gratitude. Brian Swan then produced the next 50 plus editions. In the Spring of 2016 the editors role was passed on to Regi Alexander when we took on the layout of the magazine with a commercial desktop publishing program. We are proud to announce that under his leadership the OCTOBER 2017 edition was number 200.
Financially we run with a healthy backing, income coming from advertising, and have always endeavoured to put something back into the community by way of grants to local clubs and organisations. This being funded by the surplus from the advertising revenue. We have just, in November 2017, presented a further £3500.00 to 15 groups and organisations all based within our publication area.
Village Voice is run by a Management Board which at present consists of :-
The Board
Adrian Myers Chairman
Regi Alexander Editor
Suzanna Craig Admin
Anneka Gearie Finance
Bill Richmond Article Coordination
Bryan Diggory Layout and Graphics
The Board meets on a regular basis. Apart from a few general administration expenses our only major cost is payment to our printers – we run totally for the benefit of the local community and rely on local clubs and individuals to provide news and information to enable us to publish on a monthly basis.
We always welcome enquiries from prospective advertisers and contributions of news and information from the local area.
Contact Details for Village Voice are –
Editorial matters – Regi Alexander (Editor) 01493 789035 e-mail [email protected].
How to contribute
If you have material, photos, adverts, information about a club or activity that you would like to have published in the magazine please forward it to [email protected] by the 14th of the month to be included in the next edition . Commercial advertising and small adds to [email protected] by the 13th of the month)
Please use Rich text format for any text attachments and all photos as .jpg files with a minimum file size of 500K. This allows the correct print resolution to be obtained.
