Stand up For Southport Blog by Andrew Brown
I was very humbled to have been recognised among UK Local Media Champions at a celebratory event held at 10 Downing Street in London last Wednesday.
It was hosted by Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport Lucy Frazer KC MP, who gave a speech to guests about the importance of local journalism to communities throughout the nation.
I enjoyed every minute of speaking with people in the room who have set up community websites, community newspapers, community radio stations, community blogs, from places including Hartlepool, Mansfield, Milton Keynes, London, North Wales, and elsewhere.
All with similar motives to Stand Up For Southport – to inform, to engage, and to keep people connected.
I was delighted to meet ex-Sandgrounder Tony Delahunty, now Managing Director of radio station Mansfield 103.2. You may remember the Delahunty bicycle and toy shops his family used to run in Southport, Ainsdale and Formby.
Local newspapers and websites have been fast disappearing in recent years.
It is an issue which has particularly affected towns, such as Southport, which has seen the Midweek Visiter, the Southport Visiter website and Champion Newspapers all vanish in the past five years. It is great to see the Southport Visiter newspaper still remain, as it has done since 1844, to inform readers of what’s going on every Thursday.
It’s a national issue which is particularly affecting towns and more remote areas in the UK, less so than cities, most of which are well covered.
Stand Up For Southport Director Andrew Brown at 10 Downing Street in London on 19th April 2023
It is so important to be able to provide positive, trusted platforms for local news, and ways in which people can talk about what they feel about where they live.
I set up Stand Up For Southport three years ago as a positive voice for our town.
We bring news of major new developments affecting Southport, such as the proposed new Marine Lake Events Centre, the new Southport Enterprise Arcade and more.
We let people know what’s going on with major local events such as Southport Flower Show, Southport Air Show and Southport Comedy Festival.
We work closely with partners such as Southport BID to bring all the latest business news.
We provide free media support and a large local platform for many community organisations.
People post beautiful pictures of Southport and news of local events directly into our Stand Up For Southport Facebook group. It’s a much nicer start to the day than waking up to bad news.
We don’t cover crime, or car crashes, or clickbait, or the grimier side of life.
Stand Up For Southport Director Andrew Brown at 10 Downing Street in London on 19th April 2023
In just three years, over 35,000 local people now follow Stand Up For Southport in our Facebook group, on Instagram, on Twitter, on LinkedIn, and more. We’re still growing fast.
It’s a really positive local audience and a way for people to engage with major decisions affecting our town.
Recently, alongside Sarah McEntee, we have launched the new Stand Up For Southport podcast.
It was an honour to be invited to 10 Downing Street to be recognised for work over the past three years.
It’s an incredible place, with so much history – I never thought I’d get the chance to see inside it!
Walking up the bright yellow staircase, adorned with photos of Prime Ministers from past years, was quite something.
We were entertained in one of the 10 Downing Street’s state rooms upstairs. The building is much bigger than I imagined!
The question I’ve been asked most – did I meet Larry, the Downing Street cat? He was fast asleep, curled up on the window sill next to the front door inside the building, unperturbed by all the people walking past. It would have made a great picture, but all guests had to switch off our phones and hand them in before we entered.
Ahead of the visit I was welcomed by Southport MP Damien Moore and his team, with a tour of Parliament and the Palace of Westminster by Will Frost, William Wood and Sam Harris, which I thoroughly enjoyed.
What’s next? I am really looking forward to meeting some truly outstanding people from our community when we host the first ever Pride Of Sefton Awards at The Grand in Southport this Friday.
The event is being staged by Stand Up For Southport and Mikhail Hotel and Leisure Group. Look out for more publicity on that one very soon!
Thank you for all your pictures, all your stories, all your comments and ideas, and thank you for all your support in standing up for Southport and making our town a better place for all.
Do you have a story for Stand Up For Southport? Do you need advertising, PR or media support? Please message Andrew Brown via Facebook here or email me at: mediaandrewbrown@gmail.com
