HISTORY & BACKGROUND

Though substantially the same in motivation, independence and output (and of course still free at the point of delivery, thanks to our loyal advertisers), Brixworth Bulletin actually  started life in 1992 under a different name, The Brixworth Bugle under the editorship of Paddy Fox who, together with her mentor, local District and Parish Councillor Sue Verallo, determined to bridge gaps and sometimes yawning chasms caused by lack of communication at a particularly sensitive time in our village’s history – that of new housing developments set to double the size of the population without the necessary infrastructure to cope.

But then the Bugle discovered much more to talk about and so the very first issue almost wrote itself: as well as covering the  upcoming housing  development, it featured information centring on the local radon scare, the urgent appeal for a new church bell, sporting events, traffic calming problems,  news from  village clubs, organisations  and local action groups and so much more.

The villagers’ thirst for information and opportunities to express their own good ideas was overwhelming, much of which provoked further interest and action.  In June 1999, The Bugle embraced the villages of Lamport  and  Hanging Houghton in its distribution network, joined by  Draughton village in 2001. The Bugle team is proud of the several prizes won over its ten year history both locally and nationally, gaining first place in 1994 in the prestigious Countryman national competition for the best  Community Newspaper.

Whilst continuing the independent ethos of the Bugle, Harvey Fox took over editorship and re-launched the newspaper  in 2004 as  Brixworth Bulletin, having served as production manager of The Bugle since its inception. He and Art Editor, George Hammerschmidt, have successfully updated the format and design of the Bulletin with a crisper and more modern appearance, introducing a new masthead in September 2005 and the extensive use of colour in December 2006 and now a dedicated Bulletin website.