Barrow Voice is 50 years old this year. It went through many versions of looks, length, feel; several editors; and different editorial and distribution teams over those years to be what it is today. As part of the appreciation of our loved magazine, I felt inspired to give you a little account on how this magazine you are holding right now has come into being and into your hands.

It starts with our editorial team. We meet once a quarter - normally just when the latest edition is published. After a short discussion on the issue and how it was received, we move onto the next issue. Here, we come up with ideas for future articles; we brainstorm themes and ideas; we think about what significant events are coming up and whether we have come across anything worthy of writing about. We also discuss any readers’ suggestions that were sent to the editor. This creative process is led carefully and lovingly by our editor Karisa Krcmar, who then makes sure we each go away from this meeting with clear tasks and deadlines.

During the next six weeks it is our task to conduct interviews and write the articles ready for the copy deadline. Of course, as in all workplaces, there are those who complete their tasks well ahead of time, and those who manically type the night before (hmm, not naming any names).

Then there is the advertising. Our advertising team will be continuously on the lookout for new businesses in the village, keeping a keen eye on changes, updates and news, to find new and returning advertisers. The Barrow Voice team is very lucky because most of our workforce do their little bit for the magazine on a voluntary basis, meaning that the income from advertising covers the cost of the professional design and printing, making it a more or less self-funding branch of BUSCA, the Barrow upon Soar Community Association.

So, the copy and advert deadline has come around - this is now when Karisa is her busiest - doing the initial proofreading and editing all the individual articles, focusing on the overall feel and balance of the new edition. Karisa will oversee the larger picture of how the topics fit together into one magazine, as well as into the issues of that year, so that we don’t repeat ourselves.

All the articles - written by the team as well as those offered by anybody in the village - are sent to our proofreader and sub-editor, Lindsay Ord (once a journalist at the Daily News in Durban, South Africa).

After that, text, photographs and adverts are sent to our designer who creates the look of the magazine you are used to. There is one final proof reading before giving the go-ahead to print 3,500 copies.

After printing, the magazines are delivered to our distribution hub: Judith Rodger’s car port. With each magazine weighing about 100g, this makes about 350kg worth of pristine freshly printed magazines - thankfully they are already sorted and counted into about 60 labelled boxes.

From Judith’s car port, six super deliverers: Steve, Val, Gaynor, Eric, Ceri, Peter, as well as Judith and David, do the heavy lifting and dropping off of these boxes to the door-to-door delivery volunteers’ homes and they finally drop them through your letterbox. See article on page 13 about Peter Yates, our longest-serving delivery man.

So, when you see us again, delivering your copy to your front door, please give us a smile and a kind word - your enjoyment of this magazine is what fuels this operation again and again.

Barrow Voice is grateful to each and every volunteer who contributes to you receiving this free magazine at your doorstep. Including the people in the village who contact the editor with news, ideas and articles.

Sarolta Batki