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The Underground Experience The Hague with us! Absorb the cultural and social essence of this diverse city through the eyes of the international and local communities. www.theunderground.nl
TH E L A U N C H
The Hague
Issue 1 / November 2011
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Founder and owner of The Underground explains her vision I wanted to create a paper for people like me with a multicultural background. With an English father and a Dutch mother, I have always lived with one foot in the international community, whilst the other stood firmly in my local Dutch neighbourhood of The Hague. I dreamt of a paper appealing to both communities connecting them through culture, history and joint interests. Like a mole digging underground we aim to dig up, or reveal, the beauty of our town, its international diversity and hidden treasures. My father, Dave Branson, came to Holland from the UK working for an oil company. He met my mother, Hedy Mol, and they had two children, my sister Kelly and me. We grew up speaking both Dutch and English. Once, visiting my father in Florence where he was working, I picked up an English paper focusing on the cultural aspects of that city and thought how wonderful it would be if The Hague had something similar. I put the idea to the back of my mind. Years later when my English husband, Peter Harper, started his window business, advertising rates were just too high. We needed a paper like the Underground where we could advertise at a reasonable cost. I discussed the idea with business colleagues and through them got in touch with Jo Parfitt, a local author, mentor, editor and publisher. She was able to recommend local writers who could contribute to the paper. We have jumped in at the deep end and haven’t look back. I would like to thank my family, friends, interns, editors and all the contributors for their support, patience and hard work. Without all these amazing people there would not be a paper today. The essence of The Underground is to engage its readers whilst offering affordable advertising for businesses large or small. If you have any news, views or issues that you would like to see covered, we would love to hear from you. Simone Branson Harper info@theunderground.nl