A huge THANK YOU to everyone who has helped The Local Answer reach its 10th birthday!

Advertisers, readers, staff, suppliers, writers, friends and family – there have been so many who have contributed to our rise from 5,000 to 180,000 copies every month in Gloucestershire.

The first issue of The Local Answer was published in March 2009 – not long after the global crash of 2008 – and the internet had already become established as a powerful source of information, so it was a difficult time to start this type of new venture. But I’m so glad we did.

As we look forward to celebrating throughout our 10th Anniversary Year by raising as much money for good local causes as possible, we can reflect proudly on what The Local Answer has brought to Gloucestershire since that first issue. To the benefit of people throughout the county we’ve created:

• 18 full and part-time jobs in our office and transport operations.

• 365 distribution jobs for a few hours each month – so important in providing a small income to help people in a variety of circumstances and, in many cases, helping young people understand the value of money through earning their own (and easing the demand on Mum or Dad to provide pocket money).

• A massive, cost-effective platform for businesses to talk to potential customers, enabling hundreds of local companies to establish themselves and thrive.

• A trusted marketing tool. Advertisers have grown in confidence, and numbers, because our service can be relied upon – 75% appear every month, year after year, and many more regularly use The Local Answer for seasonal campaigns. It’s extremely satisfying to have played a part in the prosperity of so many local businesses.

• A great source of information for local people, continually enhancing the volume and variety of magazine content.

• An even greater source of information on our website – with further major developments planned to be online soon.

We’re looking forward to improving our support to Gloucestershire over the next 10 years and beyond, and we’re excited about our plans to help many within our communities during the next 12 months …

How are we celebrating?

Charity of the Year

We’re delighted to announce that we have partnered with local charity Cobalt for the duration of our celebratory year. Cobalt support patients with cancer, dementia and other conditions, and invest in equipment, research and education to ensure as many people as possible have access to the best medical imaging for their diagnosis.

We’ll be trying to raise as much money as possible for Cobalt throughout the next 12 months, as well as helping to raise awareness of the vital work they do in Gloucestershire and beyond.

One of the main activities for which we would appreciate your support and donations is the Cheltenham Challenge in June, when Lois and her boyfriend will be taking on the 10k! You can keep up to date with Lois’ training progress in our online Sport section (thelocalanswer.co.uk/news/sport.aspx) and if you would like to donate, please visit https://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/TheLocalAnswer10thBirthdayYear

TLA Charity Giveaways

Our charity giveaways are back and we’ll be running several competitions throughout our birthday year, giving Gloucestershire charities and not-for-profit organisations the chance to win £2,000 each time. We will announce more details of the first giveaway in the April 2019 issue.

Gloucester Day

Come and see us at Gloucester Day on Saturday 7th September where we’ll be running a tombola to raise money for Cobalt. Last year was a great success and we ‘sold out’ with three hours to spare, so this year will be even bigger and better!

Website Developments

We’re currently working on new features for our website to enhance your experience – providing an increasing volume of useful information for Gloucestershire residents. These developments also help in improving the support we deliver to local businesses and organisations through our digital platform. Stay tuned for more details soon!

Thanks again for all your support!

Dave Kingscott
Managing Director