Has Here and Now been and gone?
TONBRIDGE and Malling Council’s glossy newsletter “Here and Now” is set to become history as the borough tightens its purse strings. A review group of councillors queried the effectiveness of the quarterly publication in a high-tech age and said it should be dis- continued from April 2014. The move could save the borough an an-
nual £60,000 in distribution, design and printing, excluding staff costs, and would free up themedia team to develop other in- formation channels, said the council’s chief executive Julie Beilby. Here and Now has a print run of 51,000
each quarter, with a copy distributed to every household in the borough, mainly by Royal Mail, and to all councillors and em- ployees.
According to Local Government Associa-
tion research, the average annual cost of a magazine or newspaper to a district council
A 77-YEAR-OLDwoman from Larkfield has spoken about the value of volun- teering. Jean Celf (right) started helping out
at The Heart of Kent Hospice on the advice of her doctor and now spends every Friday afternoon at the store in Martin Square. “I love it,” Jean says. “It can be diffi-
cult for some people as you get older, but if you are able, volunteering is a great thing to do.” Jean, who lives at Abbeyfield Kent’s St Martins residential home, said:
was £27,000 in 2008-9, while in that year, Tonbridge and Malling spent about £40,000. Ms Bielby said: “There is limited evidence
of the effectiveness of Here and Now.” In a residents’ survey, 25.9% of those who responded did not recall seeing the newslet- ter at all. However, of those who had seen it, the majority said they had read some or all of it.
Informal feedback had highlighted some concerns about its content and relevance, with residents in Tonbridge reporting less interest in articles about the Malling area and vice versa. Here and Now had been successful in de- livering key messages over the past years. “However, there have been significant changes in the way people access media and many advances in technology since Here and Now has been in publication. The council now makes far greater use of tech- nology such as the website and texting. The
“Thereare lotsof things todo, whether it’s checking bags of stock or prepar- ing itemsfor the shop. You neverknow what you might find. I’ve also made lots of newfriends.” Eileen Bashford, who is also a vol-
unteer at the hospice, said: “Jean is part of the team. She loves coming here andwe love having her. ” It’s not just The Abbeyfield Kent So-
ciety’s residents who are getting a new lease of life from volunteering. The Society invites volunteers of all ages towork in its residential homes.
benefits of these communications methods provide up-to-date information almost in- stantly and at very little cost.” She added there was a long lead-in time between the print deadline and distribu- tion. A further major limitation was that it was only issued four times a year,making it unsuitable for information such as welfare reform which changed almost weekly. As well as social media, apps and web-
sites, there were many alternatives, includ- ing sending out information with the council tax bills or use of radio to reach those who are not technologically minded. “There is also an opportunity to adapt our communication methods, focusing more on themed and targeted information sent direct to the relevant audience, rather than send- ing all information to all residents, regard- less of whether it is relevant to them.” Councillors were due to decide as the Downs Mail went to press.
Volunteering is a great way to meet friends
Jazzing it up THE Friends of Aylesford Church are holding a jazz evening in the Brassey Centre, Station Road, Aylesford on Sat- urday, September 28. The event, which starts at 7.30pm, has previously been held in the church, but this year it has been moved to the centre so that guests will be free to dance. Tickets are £9 from Brenda Sladden on 01622 882395. Numbers are limited so book in advance.
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