Packington Village News
History of the Packington Post 2002 to 2010
A Concise History
Since 2002, the start of the Packington Post, a staggering 27% of residents are new to the village. If you are one of them, here's how your own very special village magazine came about.
1. The Packington Communications Group (PCG) was set up in 2002 by the Parish Council in direct response to a need for improved communications identified in the 2002 Village Appraisal Report when 70% of respondents said they would like an independently produced village newsletter covering all aspects of village news/information.
2. A group of unpaid volunteers stepped forward and set the initial “Aims & Objectives” using the Appraisal as their guide in a comprehensive 15 page business plan which looked at, and evaluated, all aspects of the project. Three relevant and fundamental conclusions published in that report are:-
a) To fulfill its objectives the Packington Post should be “all inclusive” to all residents and be circulated to ALL households. The Appraisal showed that villagers were prepared to contribute to the costs of the newsletter.(48% up to £1 and 42% more than £1).
The fairest and most efficient way of obtaining this funding is via the precept. The cost in 2010 to each household via the precept 8 years later(!) is approx £6 (£1 per copy)
b) Charging a subscription cover price would undermine the concept of being “all inclusive” as well as being difficult and time consuming to collect. All members of PCG are volunteers and it was agreed that their energy and enthusiasm is best directed at maintaining the quality and content of the newsletter.
c) Any external funding that could be obtained (additional advertising, grants etc.) is a bonus.
3. In December 2004, after a successful launch in the summer of 2003, it was agreed by all parties that the Packington Communications Group become independent from, but supported by and monitored by, the Parish Council so that they could be more proactive and react quickly to demands without the constraints of a local government timescales and bureaucracy.
4. The team set up was anxious that whatever was provided was modern, attractive and fit for the 21st century. To achieve this colour, particularly to reproduce photographs properly, was a prerequisite. The paper used is an average but suitable quality and further reduction in paper quality would save very little if anything.
5. Advertising as a contributor to costs was pursued, but realistically with a circulation of 320 and readership of approx 1000 it was always going to be difficult to attract a significant amount. In any case the team wanted to avoid the “free newspaper syndrome“ of no news but lots of ads!! Packington news was the prime objective. We should take this opportunity to thank our advertisers for their invaluable support, some of whom have been with us since the beginning.
6. With the advent of digital printing and, importantly, the support of a small local publishing business, it was possible to put together a viable budget with the only compromise being that 4 of the 12 pages would be black & white and the paper would be an average but adequate quality.
7. In 2005 a garden party, attended by over 450 people, raised over £2100. This was to give the group a cushion for unexpected events, put it onto a solid financial base and specifically to use for special development projects such as the www.packington.info web site – another prime aim of the original objectives.
8. A startling statistic from the 2001 census is that, at that time, 24% of the village population was under 25!! To connect with this age group a web-based communication media was paramount. A purpose built site was commissioned at a heavily discounted price of £1000 from this special fund. The functionality of the site was to be such that anyone, with only basic word processing skills, would be able to update their own page thus enabling all groups to be able to quickly update their own information without the need for a dedicated person at the centre – an impossible time consuming task. The site, after a couple of false starts, is now being used and populated and enables news to be communicated on a daily basis.
9. Articles are received on a regular basis from many groups:-
Parish Council, Memorial Hall, Recreation Ground Charity, Packington Primary School, Mens Group,
Ladies Group, WI, Packington Horticultural Society (who also provide valuable donation support), Cricket Club
PIGS (golf society), Holy Rood Church, Local Police/Neighbourhood Watch, JPEG, plus others.
Extract from a letter received from the Big Lottery grants officer who commented that ….
‘‘…..the Packington Post was a very impressive and professionally produced news magazine’’… compared with others they had seen from across the country and went on to say ‘’Instead of just reading the items referred to in your letter I read both copies of the Packington Post from cover to cover: it made me want to come and live in your village’’.
Members of the Memorial Hall committee have indicated that, by demonstrating that Packington is a vibrant and lively village that has effective means of communication to all residents, the Post played a vital role in supporting the successful application for the £250,000 lottery grant.
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