Aycliffe Monthly #1 | Page 5

Aycliffe Today Monthly | 5 @AycliffeToday WELCOME CONTENTS Hi, and welcome to the pilot issue of Aycliffe Today Monthly. In this pilot issue of Aycliffe Today Monthly… We have an ambition to publish a monthly magazine in Newton Aycliffe to promote all the positive things that happen in our town. We aim to do that with well-written articles by professional journalists and good quality photography, which will hopefully make for enjoyable reading. Going forward, we need to gauge demand for advertising space, which will fund this free publication, but we strongly feel there is a market for a magazine of this type in Newton Aycliffe, and we hope you agree. If you do, tell your friends about us. Show this to your family. Help us spread the word about Aycliffe Today. We launched our not-forprofit community website, www. aycliffetoday.co.uk, in January 2012 and in December 2012 we launched a brand new quality magazine for businesses on Aycliffe Business Park, Aycliffe Today Business, which has increased from 16 pages since launching to 24, while our JanuaryFebruary 2014 issue will have 32 pages. This magazine is to complement both our website and B2B publication, by portraying a generally positive image of Newton Aycliffe as a whole, as we feel we have a lot to be proud of, but that we often don’t do enough to tell everyone about it. We want to hear your news and tell your stories, so get in touch if you think you have stories or features that will interest our readers – that can range from general human interest to news, sport, business or anything to do with charity fundraising. The more unusual, the better! Meanwhile, I hope you enjoy this pilot issue, and we look forward to hopefully bringing you more editions in 2014. Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. Martin Walker Editor, Aycliffe Today COMPETITION TIME! ADVERTISING This is your chance to win an interim service from Gregg Little Testing Centre (worth more than £100). We’re planning to fully launch this new monthly magazine early February 2014, with a circulation of 5,000. To stand a chance of winning, simply answer the following question: Pop star Amelia Lily finished third in which famous TV talent contest in 2011? To enter, send us the answer, along with your full name, address and contact details, either by email to [email protected] or by text to 07826525907. All correct entries will go into the hat, with the winner selected randomly. Advertising is available from £40 a month, up to £125 for a half-page advert and £200 for a fullpage. If you’re interested in advertising, get in touch to discuss our rates in full. Call 01325 728024, or email [email protected] 7 OPERATION ORIENT Police smashed their way into three houses in Newton Aycliffe as part of a huge covert drugs swoop… 8-11 AMELIA LILY Special four-page feature on pop star Amelia Lily’s visit to Newton Aycliffe… 15 BODY SHOPPING A body shop expert made redundant by Holiways has joined one of Newton Aycliffe’s oldest companies… 16-17 SANTA’S ROUTE We’ve designed a special map to show Santa’s route around Aycliffe on Christmas Eve… 20 IT’S PARTY SEASON! Festive fashionistas are preparing to up the glam stakes and sparkle as the party season gets well under way