by Amanda Eleftheriades, Editor
‘If it bleeds, it leads’.
This was the ethos of the media industry in 1996 when I started my first job as a local reporter in Dumbarton.
Sadly, not too much had changed when I left it seven years later.
Disillusioned by the industry’s growing toxicity and feeling I hadn’t made much of a difference.
But after moving into the third sector and continuing to work in West Dunbartonshire for a further 10 years, I was ready to try and create something different.
I shared the idea for a magazine promoting positive local news stories with some close friends and persuaded a few to get involved.
As we waited nervously to find out who would brave the blustery, autumnal elements to come to our launch event in Ben View Resource Centre, none of us could have imagined the journey ahead.
But as kind-hearted volunteers and supporters started to arrive laden with home-baking, musical instruments, poems and short stories, I started to breathe … this was actually going to happen.
Shared Vision
Bundles of Issue 1 were stacked on a side table in the hall, the work of many hands, hearts and minds, waiting to be shared for the very first time.
On the front cover Trainspotting author, Irvine Welsh, nonchalantly sipped a cuppa on the steps of Dumbarton Library.
The interview inside wasn’t about the new book he had come to the area to promote.
Instead, he happily went off topic as he spoke to our volunteer citizen journalist about the need to encourage creativity in working class communities.
His thoughts echoed our own aims.
We hoped Clydesider would provide both a home for the wealth of creative talent we knew was hidden in our communities and an antidote to the sensationalised negativity of many traditional media outlets.
We wanted to shine a light on the positive, the inspirational, the creativity and the beauty that exists in West Dunbartonshire.
No Easy Feat
It had been a long journey to get to this starting point.
Meetings in sitting rooms, two failed funding applications, a 14-page business plan, market research, letters of support and tongue-tied pitches.
Finally, we struck what felt like the jackpot and secured our first grant – £5,000 from the West Dunbartonshire Social Enterprise Challenge Fund.
The money allowed us to rent Ben View’s boardroom where we could meet and provide training to a growing number of people, keen to support a community magazine.
The funding also covered the cost of that first print run, as selling advertising is not easy at the best of times and nearly impossible in a non-existent publication.
Everyone involved were volunteers, we came from a diverse range of backgrounds.
Some had other jobs to pay the bills, others were retired, unemployed, some still at school.
Our one common passion was for the local communities of Clydebank, Dumbarton and the Vale
Talented West Dunbartonshire
We wanted to show and share the untold stories of community heroes, local enterprises, hidden creatives, long-forgotten heritage and stunning scenery, all of which we knew West Dunbartonshire has in abundance.
For the past five years, with the help of hundreds of local people, it has been a true pleasure and privilege to do just that.
We’ve learned so much and had so many adventures along the way.
And what is exciting, is that other community news organisations from Scotland, Europe and further afield want to learn about our way of doing media differently.
So, we’re hopeful our first five years heralds a starting point for a new brand of journalism which ‘shines a spotlight on the sunlight’ that exists in every community.
Clydesider Timeline
What Our Readers Think
We like to check in with our readers and contributors to make sure they are happy with the magazine, below is some feedback from our latest Reader Survey:
