BY MALCOLM CRESSEY
It seems like an age ago, but the reality is, it was at the beginning of Nov that you and I were introduced by my dear friend Ronnie Kendall (The mastermind behind Holme Farm Community Workshop & Gardens) in order to discuss the merits of expanding the Chertsey Life concept to the South of Runnymede.
We both started from a good place, recognising that a regular, high quality magazine free at point of delivery, could be a huge benefit, actively promoting community involvement.
The coverage needed to be big enough to attract advertising revenue to cover costs but focussed enough to be “local”.
Our starting point is a reasonable balance with coverage of about 8,000 homes across Ottershaw, Rowtown, New Haw, Woodham, a large part of Addlestone and the surrounding rural area.
What kind of people are we? The area has around 20k residents of which over 83% are UK born, 91% speak English and 52% are female.
Our average age of a resident is between 35 and 39 and 59% of residents aged over 16 live as couples. 85% of residents are considered to be in good / very good health with a life expectancy of 80.6 years for men and 84.3 years for women.
The area is also relatively “safe” with crime being around 5% lower than the national average but a little higher than the Surrey average. 70% of crime can be grouped under Anti-social behaviour (ASB).
However, my suspicion is domestic abuse has grown as a consequence of the Covid-19 restrictions – A vulnerable area we should all be focussed on.
Time and the community response will tell whether Runnymede Life is focussed on “local”.
It might actually be more accurate to say that in fact Runnymede Life and Chertsey Life is one magazine distributing two individual editions promoting local community.
Chertsey Life has proved to be highly successful and after only it’s fourth monthly edition has generated an enthusiastic following which we hope will be replicated across the southern parts of Runnymede.
Articles of local interest have covered the devastating fire at Chobham Common (a Specially Protected Area), the adoption of the Runnymede Local Plan, Holme Farm Community Workshops and Garden, contributions from our MP, Mayor, Councillors and the Council as well as from local organisations such as the hospital, the police, local societies and museums and from individual experiences – all of which are great sources for quality local news. One added benefit is the fact that Runnymede Life is also available online for download.
It is now in the hands of the community to not only enjoy the magazine but to contribute to making it a vital local resource – let’s not waste it!