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Community editor Alan Bunce talking to local ladies at Ranikhet Children’s Centre in Tilehurst about producing a community newspaper
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Dee Park to launch its own newspaper

November 13, 2012

Residents of Dee Park are to start their own newspaper.

Catalyst Housing has teamed up with people living at the Dee Park estate and experts from Oxford Community Media, the company behind a successful series of papers including Leys News at the Blackbird Leys and Greater Leys estates.

Sarah Edwards, its group editor, began training volunteers this week and getreading dropped in to talk to the group about life at the Reading Post and getreading.

Miss Edwards, who has worked at the Oxford Mail, said the new Dee Park paper will continue to report bad news, but will put the emphasis on the good.

She gathered ideas from the editorial team and set them homework for next week. The new paper will be printed by the Newbury Weekly News and will be delivered free to people on the Dee park estate. The first issue is due out in early February.

At the moment a monthly newsletter goes out to residents, but Catalyst wants residents to have a sustainable, micro-local newspaper which carries adverts and involves the community.

Tina Ford, community involvement co-ordinator for Catalyst Housing, said: “We are looking at when the regeneration is finished and we leave, that we leave a legacy for the people here.”

Miss Ford said the new paper will begin as a quarterly, but she hopes to increase its frequency as members of the editorial team get used to their roles.

“We want then them to get the feel for it and not be under too much pressure,” she added.

There were four people from Reading Voluntary Action (RVA) at Wednesday’s session at Ranikhet Children’s Centre, also hoping to launch a publication of their own.

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Most recent user comments 9 of 9

The pages in the newspaper won't have much...another burning car.....more kids riding on fields with dirt bike's....another drug raid..... Readinglocal ............. But it's not as bad as it used to be .... yeah, right

Dada, Reading
18/11/2012 at 13:07

I grew up on the Dee Road estate, it may not be as bad now as it used to be.

The pages in the newspaper won't have much...another burning car.....more kids riding on fields with dirt bike's....another drug raid.....

Readinglocal
17/11/2012 at 03:50

Comedy Gold, writers on the Post are wasted here, giving us comedy gems like this to work with...

I have the misfortune to have been the victim of RBC's school allocation system,and therefore have my 2 kids at the school, they are happy and they are settled..

However, stand outside Ranikhet school at half eight in the morning,and there really are, in 50% of cases the dregs of society,people who look like they literally have to drag themselves out of bed to get their children to school, smoke 20 cigarettes outside the school, and their only pressure of time is making sure they are back home with a cuppa in time for Jeremy Kyle..

They can throw as much money as they like at re-generating the place,making it all look nice and new, but it doesn't change the people who live there

Lionel Messi's Right Foot, Reading
13/11/2012 at 20:02

I look forward to the occasional heart-warming story of a family not having a dangerous dog, cousins in prison for burglary, or children with Asbos. Lovely stuff.