It’s my turn to write the Editor’s Letter this month, so I thought I should probably start by saying hello properly!
For those of you I haven’t met yet, I’m Sarah, and I’ve recently joined the team here at Soar Valley Life. I’ve come into the world of magazines from a completely different working background, and it’s fair to say it has been quite an education already.
Before becoming involved with Soar Valley Life, I probably viewed a local magazine in exactly the same way many readers do. Every couple of months it drops through the letterbox, you pick it up, have a flick through, read an article or two, see what’s happening locally, perhaps spot a business you need and then put it down until the next one arrives.
Simple, really.
Or so I thought!
What I hadn’t appreciated was just how much goes on behind the scenes before that magazine ever reaches your doormat.
There are articles and local events to gather, businesses to speak to, adverts to organise, artwork to chase, pages to design, proofs to check and deadlines that seem to arrive remarkably quickly. Then there’s printing, distribution and making sure thousands of copies actually find their way into homes across the area.
I’ve also discovered just how many people and businesses are involved in making each edition possible. Our advertisers aren’t simply names and logos filling spaces on a page. They’re local people running businesses, employing people, taking risks and working incredibly hard to make those businesses successful. Without their support, a free community magazine like Soar Valley Life simply couldn’t exist.
That has probably been one of the biggest eye-openers for me.
I’ve spoken to so many people over the past few months and learned far more about what’s happening locally than I ever expected to. It’s made me realise how easy it is to drive through our towns and villages every day without knowing half of what is going on right on our doorstep.
I’m still learning, of course, and I suspect I will be for quite some time! But perhaps coming into Soar Valley Life with completely fresh eyes isn’t such a bad thing. I find myself asking questions, looking at things differently and thinking about what we could introduce or change to make the magazine even better.
And that’s where you come in.
You’ll notice our Reader Survey on page 34 in this edition, and I’d really love you to take a few minutes to complete it. We can sit in the office and discuss what we think readers enjoy, but there’s a much easier solution: ask you!
Tell us what you read, what you enjoy, what you’d like to see more of and what we could do differently. Soar Valley Life may be the magazine we put together, but ultimately it’s your local magazine, and we want it to reflect the communities it lands in.
As for the photograph accompanying my first Editor’s Letter, I thought I’d introduce you to two familiar faces from my life too: my husband Nick and Mabel, our Border Terrier. I have a feeling this may not be Mabel’s last appearance in these pages!
So next time Soar Valley Life drops through your letterbox, perhaps spare a tiny thought for everything that happened before it got there.
Then forget all about us, put the kettle on and enjoy it.
Sarah
