When I set up Bay Life online six years ago, I had no idea that we would be seeing such a success. Without question we are the most successful independent web platform for any small coastal community in Sussex.
There is now, in addition, Bay Life, the Journal, a trial broadsheet newspaper produced to national standards, printed in London and published here in Pevensey Bay, with the best and brightest celebration of everything that makes living in Pevensey Bay so special.
The newspaper is for both residents and visitors. There is news about festivals and local events, three leaderboards, an opinion and analysis section, letters, Tales from the Pevensey Timeline, a notebook, Beachlands myBeachlands, Community, Council, Essentials and the St. Nicolas 800 events preview.
A production newspaper of this kind has never been seen in Sussex. Bay Life the Journal is the first newspaper of this description to be produced in and by a small network of villages anywhere in Sussex.
At first we will be a trial 4 page full colour broadsheet, but we hope to grow month by month.
This is your newspaper. It has been written by and for people living in and around Pevensey Bay.
It is important to me that the value of living in this small corner of Sussex is promoted. We are one of the hidden jewels in the Crown of Sussex.
This is wonderful, but if we are to survive as a community then we have to protect our economic and social wellbeing, find ways to support the community with grants, sponsorship and seedcorn funding from various sources and see that people that want to come and live here and new businesses can enjoy an infrastructure that will continue to support us as a community.
We lost the bank. We nearly lost the post office. The library has been closed for over a year, there are key buildings in Bay that we need to see supported and helped back to economic and community life. All of these things require local authorities, organisations and local companies working together in partnership in innovative ways.
To survive, flourish and develop we need to find ways to support the kind of economic and social activity that will draw attention to all these issues and find new ways of working together.
Wealden Council has led the way with some of the initiatives necessary to see that this activity can be promoted and supported. The Wealden Food and Wine Festival is a prime example of how a local festival can bring us the kind of visitor attention that seeds sustainable business and social activity in our community.
Bay Life campaigns and supports local community activity. We celebrate all that is best about our local communities and online we are independent in our views, analysis, approach to local issues, controversies and questions about key issues like regeneration and the protection of our precious community assets.
Bay Life the Journal will broadcast what we do in a broadsheet.
Bay Life the Journal has eighteen local writers, our launch edition will be available soon. Bay Life the Journal is a newspaper for Pevensey Bay, written by Pevensey Bay people.
With thanks to our national award winning small digital agency in Brighton for their help in planning the publication over the last six months, all our advertisers, all our writers and our printers in London, and most importantly, with thanks to the people in around Pevensey Bay that have made our online platform such a success.
There is now an opportunity to browse Bay Life, offline with our new broadsheet, that will give you a regular news review of the Life and Times of Pevensey Bay in the Digital Age.
Your own newspaper, here in the Bay, to browse at your leisure in the sunshine, in the cafe, to watch the local world wishing they were here.
Welcome Bay Life, the Journal.
Available as we trial the newspaper in the months to come also on tablet, subscription and smart phone. Do not forget to pre-order your copy of Bay LIfe the Journal in your favourite local newsagents.
Dianne Dear
Publisher
