The following is a message from Helen Hale, editor at Stapleford Messenger. The Messenger is urgently seeking a volunteer production editor or our monthly village magazine will have to fold. This would be a real loss to the Stapleford community. Can you help?
The Messenger in extremis
HAVE you seen Tom Hanks in the movie Apollo13? Slightly bowdlerising what was said on the actual mission, in the film, after the explosion in the orbiter, he says ‘Houston, we have a problem’. And that, essentially, is the plot.
Stapleford, we have a problem. That is the plot, and just as Tom Hanks did in the movie, we need a rescue.
Dear Frank Jacot, who died in September, was the production editor for the Messenger. That job entails receiving articles and pictures, dropping them into templates and generally tinkering until there is an acceptable magazine each month, and then sending it off electronically to the printers. We now need someone who can step into his role. You need to be technologically reasonably adept, not expert, and willing to learn the basics of a new software package. It is not difficult, but there is a learning curve. Ed Rose will provide training. He did the job superbly for a number of years before Frank, and is happy to take up the reins briefly again, and to see someone new safely into post.
But here’s the thing. Unless we have a committed volunteer by 5 November, willing to receive training on the December edition and supervision in producing January and February, the likelihood is that the Messenger will fold. We are looking into other options, but at this point none of them look viable. The December edition, as matters stand, will be the last. It will not come out in January onwards and we will lose subscribers and advertisers and will not be able to resurrect it. A long and distinguished history will come to an end.
‘Good’, you may say, ‘No more of the vicar’s rants.’
Maybe so, but we will all miss the local journalism, the easy info on what is coming up in the village, the lovely pics of local events, the extremely useful small ads and more.
Anyone willing? Contact me, Simon Taylor, on simontaylorstandrews@gmail.com or 07970 716163.
