What is the Valley News?
The Valley News is a community-based publication that is designed to bring together the residents from a number of villages in the river Cherwell valley in the format of a locally produced magazine which is regularly delivered to every house in the villages.
The aim of Valley News is to provide a reliable source of information about village events and a stage for local artists, gardeners and poets to showcase their offerings.
It also provides a readily available source of contact and information about our local parish councils as well as many local voluntary organisations and memorials for local folk.
Valley News provides a low-cost advertising platform for local businesses and service providers that may be of interest and value to all local residents.
Valley News is published once every 2 months and delivered, free of charge, to well over 1,900 houses in the Cherwell valley
How we do what we do?
Valley News is, above all, community driven.
It has a network of local folk and contributors who submit items, that they believe will be of interest to the community, to the editor. These may be an article about a subject that they feel may be of interest to local residents or that they feel strongly about or a list of local folk who have moved in or moved out, those who have married, had children or have recently passed away.
Quite simply without our local folk there would be no Valley News. The local folk are our eyes and ears and we collectively thank and salute all those who play their part in Valley News in this way.
Valley News is very much aware of the environmental impact of producing a magazine on paper but draws comfort from the fact that all regular format paper is sourced from responsibly managed forestry and other resources and that good recycling facilities are available post-use.
On balance Valley News feels that the benefit accorded to those who do not have, or do not wish for, on-line access is best continued to be met by a hard copy print. We shall keep this policy under review.
As well as being delivered to every house on our patch every 2 months it is also available on-line at our own web site. Each of the parish councils has a link to the on-line version on its own village website
How is Valley News funded?
It costs residents nothing directly. No payment is required to have a copy delivered.
In order to help meet the printing costs, advertisements are accepted from local traders and service providers at very modest and competitive rates. We are grateful to all of our advertisers for whom, judging by the number who repeat their adverts year after year, advertising in VN works for them too.
Valley News is also sponsored by the local parish councils and simply would not exist in its current format without the support of the following parish councils, to whom we are very grateful:
Somerton Parish Council www.somertonvillage.org
Upper Heyford Parish Council www.upperheyford.com
Lower Heyford and Caulcott Parish Council www.heyford.info
Heyford Park Parish Council www.heyfordpark-pc.gov.uk
Last, but by no means least, Valley News receives very kind donations from a number of individuals and organisations.
Valley News – contributors
The following are just some of the folk who regularly kindly produce articles and inputs for the Valley News:
Michael Rodgers
Roger Burt
Nicole Clough
Heather Burt
Liz Goodwin
Sharon Keen
There are of course many, many more.
We are always looking for new articles and contributors…so please do not hesitate to contact one of the team with your ideas.
As with any other publication the editors reserve the right to edit and/or format articles to fit the space available or remove any content that may upset or offend other readers.
For the artistic or photographers amongst our residents: we are always on the look-out for wonderful photos or other ideas for the front cover. They can be topical, beautiful, eye-catching, pictorially representative or simply a capture of recent local events. Please submit any such ideas direct to one of the editorial team whose judgment is final as to what makes the front cover. Valley News goes to the printers about 2 weeks before the end of the month preceding publication so your photos will have to be with us then. E.G.: for the April issue we would need your photo by 15 March.
Valley News – principal players
| Editorial | Ian Lough Scott | ianloughscott@btinternet.com |
| Editorial | Neill Brodey | valleynewseditorial@outlook.com |
| Advertising Manager | Jackie Wood | adverts.valleynews@gmail.com |
| Treasurer | Bruce Eggeling | treasurer.valleynews@gmail.com |
| Webmaster | Richard Henderson | info@enter-at.co.uk |
We would also like to have a local/sub-editor for each village so would like to hear from you if you live in Upper Heyford, or Lower Heyford, or Caulcott, or Heyford Park, or Somerton: just contact any of the above.