A new dawn for journalism in Swindon

An innovative and ambitious news subscription service called The Ink is being launched in Swindon in association with Swindon Link. The new publication will be sent directly to people’s inboxes three times a week and will only cost £5.99 a month with the first month free so you can cancel it if you don’t like it before paying a penny.

By Jamie Hill

We want Swindon to have better journalism – quality writing and investigative journalism that drives change.

Our mission at The Ink isn’t just about making the media better though, it’s about making Swindon better and more accountable. Swindon has a rich culture and heritage, and an extremely generous community.

We want it to be a place where we face our failures and spread good ideas. Where we understand and hear each other’s perspectives. We want Swindon to be better informed.

These might be lofty principles but over the past three decades we have seen the media industry eat itself with quality going by the wayside as we chase clicks instead of insight. The industry has swapped print advertising pounds for digital pennies and the quality has dipped because of this.

So we have had to find a way around this. A way of still providing the insight and quality of good journalism but still having the means to survive as with the best ideals in the world no-one can survive on air.

From a tiny newsroom in Old Town, we will endeavour to put together stories that will make you better informed and more closely connected with this great town. We want to use our stories to create a better Swindon and build a better community.

The idea is to provide three paid for curated news bulletins a week (Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays) with a free one going out to our free members on a Friday summarising the week and giving people a taste of what they’re missing from not being a paid member.

We will still be just as passionate with Swindon Link, which we believe provides a thread joining the different communities of the town on a monthly basis.

But The Ink will be more analytical and give us the ability to really delve down into what really makes Swindon tick.

We do realise that this is a whole new concept for Swindon and for us as well. We have been creating The Ink for more than a month now just to ensure that we can do it justice.

But for us journalists it’ll be a way that we can get the information of the day directly in front of people’s eyes. And it will also be completely advertising free as we want to provide completely unfiltered news and analysis to our readers.

The plan is to provide an Ink briefing on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays with people who sign up for the free version getting an update on a Friday. Another thing that we will ensure is that no-one is ever tied into anything. You can join and leave when you want without incurring any extra costs.

The first month that you sign up for is free so you also have the ability to taste what we’re doing and then unsubscribe if it’s not your cup of tea (although we assure you it will be!)

As an organisation we’re very excited and we have ideas aplenty to make this a good read for anyone who wants to stay in the know on local matters in Swindon.

You can subscribe by scanning the QR code on the advert opposite with your phone.

New EV for parish council fleet

Haydon Wick Parish Council has added another new electric vehicle to its Parks & Open Spaces.

The Transit-style van will be used in grounds maintenance work.

Parish council chair Cllr Vinay Manro said the organisation was proud to add another electric vehicle, and that by reducing the council’s carbon footprint it would make Haydon Wick a greener place to live.

Swindon Pride goes

Nationwide

Swindon & Wiltshire Pride have announced the return of Nationwide Building Society as main sponsor for the 2023 event.

This year Pride is heading back to Queens Park on Saturday, 12 August for what organisers are promising will be even bigger and better than last year’s popular Pride Picnic.

New Arkell’s brew to mark centenary of car maker MG

Arkell’s Brewery have created a limited-edition beer to mark 100 years of MG.

‘Petrol Head’ is described as a 4.5% ABV pale beer brewed using traditional Norwegian Kveik yeast which adds a unique orangy flavour.

In 1923 brewery family member ancestor Oliver Arkell was the first person documented to purchase an MG, choosing a Raworth-bodied Super Sports model, of which no examples survive.

Quarry Road Tennis Courts to be managed by national group

By Barrie Hudson barrie@positive-media.co.uk

South Swindon Parish Council and the National Tennis Association (NTA) have announced a partnership to manage the newly refurbished Quarry Road Tennis Courts in Old Town.

The NTA will take on the management of the courts for a 12-year term from June, paying rent to the parish council which will be used as a sink fund for ongoing maintenance and eventual refurbishment in 10 to 12 years’ time.

The courts had been managed by the borough council until earlier this year, when the courts and recreation area off Quarry Road were leased to the parish council for 99 years.

South Swindon Parish

Council chair and Old Town councillor Neil Hopkins said: “It’s fantastic to see the tennis courts receive a much needed makeover.

“The site was in a real state of neglect and disrepair, so the investment is a welcome boost to the local community.

“The NTA have a great track record of involving the communities around their sites and improving the access to tennis in the area.”

The National Tennis

Association was established in 2004 and is the leading tennis management and coaching operator in the UK. It is a not-for-profit Community Interest Company which is committed to reinvesting surplus income into tennis programmes and facilities to enable long-term sustainability.

Since 2014 it has been managing the Swindon Tennis Centre, which is based at St Marks Recreation Ground in Pinehurst.

Kelmscott Manor promises visitors a treasure trove

Kelmscott Manor was the iconic country home of William Morris; poet, designer, craftsman, socialist and founding father of the Arts and Crafts movement.

Visitors are welcome at the Manor house and adjoining farm buildings loved by Morris as a work of true craftmanship, totally unspoilt and unaltered, and in harmony with the surrounding countryside.

A spokesperson said: “Enjoy our new temporary exhibition where gems from our reserve collection are on display.

“Exhibits include works by Pre-Raphaelite artists Dante Gabriel Rossetti and Edward Burne-Jones, and exquisite embroideries by Jane and May Morris.

“Kelmscott Manor also boasts enchanting riverside gardens and the River Thames is located just a few hundred yards away.

“Beyond the walls of the formal garden stand the impressive farm barns – two of which house the Tearoom and beautiful Shop.

“A variety of activities are available in our Learning Barn for all ages to enjoy including trails, jigsaws, craft making and much more.

“Throughout the summer holidays we also have a series of drop in family workshops on Saturdays where visitors of all ages can join in with various crafts. Follow us on social media for details on upcoming workshops.”

Opening hours are from 10.30am to 5pm on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays, and new for this year is the option of an annual pass.

Full details can be found at kelmscottmanor.org.uk, and Kelmscott Manor is also on Facebook and Instagram.