Frances and I will be joined this week by James, who is the editor of the free monthly community newspapers, Enfield Dispatch and Waltham Forest Echo.
The newspapers are written by and for local people, and are available to pick up free of charge in cafes, pubs, doctors’ surgeries, libraries, community centres, places of worship and railway stations. They feature local news and features about community projects and campaigns, comment and opinion on what’s happening in the borough and interviews with local people.
We’ll be talking about the decline of local newspapers around the country – an issue close to James’s heart. He was a freelance reporter for the Enfield Gazette & Advertiser before it was unexpectedly closed, leaving a big hole in the community.
James says: “Local papers play a fundamental role in their communities, as a platform for people to raise concerns, promote events and projects, and hold authority to account. I hope that Enfield Dispatch will help fulfil this role in Enfield and I would urge local people to show their support for community media and get behind it!”
