eastwise.org.uk

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new community magazine launched 

Sunderland scores a first yet again with the launch of the new magazine 'Best of the West', specially for the west of the city. 

Best of the West is a sister publication to Eastwise, and a new member of the Community Media Partnership stable of titles ,along with Colliery Media's Colliery Chronicle in the north of the City.

secret millionaire, Jonathan Hick talks about his recent visit to Hendon and how  Eastwise helped him find his way around.

"I had no working TV or radio in my flat in Hendon so I lived on 9 library books and 3 back copies of Eastwise. I really took to the mag - and found it gave an interesting and genuine insight into community activity round Hendon. 

"During those 9 days undercover the Times, the FT and Investors Chronicle that dominate my normal weekly life seemed irrelevant and a thousand miles away. I found Eastwise colourful, poignant and, of course, highly relevant research for the job in hand. It gave me a great overview of community organisations and best of all (living on £8.64 a day)...it was FREE!!! I read all about Lynn and Sit n be Fit in it and I discovered Geoff Moon from the Welcome Tavern in it!
 
"Most importantly Eastwise puts out a positive message of hope and helping hands...not propaganda, but genuine community spirit.

"You are a great voice for wonderful people".

April 2009

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 your new web supplement to our bi-monthly print  magazine

weekly stories . photo albums . video . new links

here's your chance to share your photos, videos, letters, news, events, music, interesting web sites, comments on eastwise stories and suggestions for the future.

simply email us on eastwise@communitymediapartnership.co.uk

and send us your contributions or links, for example, to your videos posted on youtube.

CITY COMMUNITY MEDIA WINS NATIONAL BEACON AWARD

Sunderland’s longest established community magazine, Eastwise, has won a prestigious Community Media Beacon Award, one of only ten granted in the UK.

The awards, to be presented next week at the offices of Ofcom in London, recognise the social value of print and digital community based media and the role they play in local democracy and citizen participation.

UK online centres, part of the University for Industry, make the awards, bringing together nine exemplars from across the UK to share their experience and expertise, and to work on a national community media strategy.

Eastwise’s successful bid included an outline of the magazine’s unique partnership with another community based publication, the Colliery Chronicle, and their establishment of the Community Media Partnership to foster joint working practices.

It also described recent work with local groups to develop a new community publication in the West area of Sunderland, supported initially by a small lottery grant. Further work on the title, the Best of the West, was awaiting a decision on funding from the West Area Committee’s Strategic Initiative Budget (SIB) at the time of going to print.

John Wilkins, Eastwise manager, said: "We’re all very pleased about the award. Eastwise will celebrate its 100^th edition in March, and it’s fitting that community media should at last be getting the recognition it deserves.

"This award demonstrates that government now recognises that community media can play a unique role in our society with its neighbourhood focus and commitment to fostering participation by local people.

"Here in Sunderland we enjoy wide ranging support, from our contributors, community groups, elected  representatives, and our readership, and working with our partners in the North and West areas of the city we will be aiming to reach an audience of almost 85,000 households by the end of 2009.

"These awards are a step towards realising the potential of community media as a sector in its own right, and I hope they will encourage decision makers, particularly in the public sector, to invest in the future of a unique resource.’

commercial road youth and community project building demolished - for many years the old centre, next to the gas holders on commercial road, played host to a wide variety of activities for the people of the local community. Unfortunately structural problems developed in the building and the centre closed. The raich carter centre, valley road school and grangetown school provide community facilities now, with hendon youth initiative providing support for local youngsters.

for more pictures click here

We also now have another digital heritage resource that covers the bombing of Sunderland during WW2. Have a look at it here

gallery - there is a wealth of images of the east area of sunderland on the web. Some are of historical interest (see sunderland then and now - below right), others are more contemporary. 

Click on the button below to view images of hendon posted by local photographers on the www.flickr.com site.

hendon images

video - eastwise publisher, hendon 2000 ltd, is active in a variety of projects including management of the  ICT suite at the raich carter sports centre, and video production with community groups.

together with the colliery chronicle serving the communities north of the wear, the two titles make up the community media partnership (CMP), with a combined distribution of 48,000 households in the heart of the city.

the two titles are committed to the principles of public service publishing, and are not-for-profit publications based in and employing residents from their local communities.