Dear Readers,

Recently, cakes have featured in my life rather more than usual. First of all, I was invited to cut one together with Triodos managing director, Charles Middleton, at the bank’s 15th anniversary in London.

Then, at the inauguration of the Asha Centre [see article here], an educational and interfaith peace centre in the Forest of Dean, to my surprise, I found myself in front of another cake. The event was also a celebration of the 60th birthday of the centre’s founder, Zerbanoo Gifford. With typical generosity – for which she is so well loved – she decided to share some of the festivities with me. I found my birthday on the day’s programme and was presented with a magnificent cake replicating the appearance of a copy of Positive News!

As you can see, I have now reached the ripe old age of 80 – which I can’t quite believe myself. I don’t feel like 80 inside of me. However, I have to recognise that time moves on, and have to plan for the future of Positive News.

I feel it is extremely important that Positive News continues. I think making visible the positive action and achievements that are happening in the world, is needed more than ever. Positive News stands on the brink of huge potential.

For some time, I have been stepping back gradually and encouraging the new generation to carry on. But we need to find a way to create a sustainable future for Positive News so that it can continue and flourish. To this end we are working with Resources for Change, an ethical consultancy, to create a development plan. Key areas that we have been looking at are opportunities to reach a larger readership and possible new structures for our organisation, including one that would allow for reader ownership.

I have been writing regularly to subscribers informing them of progress and will be giving them more detail of recent developments when we post the paper out, including the date for a stakeholders’ workshop. If you are not a subscriber and would like to be kept informed of future developments, please send us your email address [email office@positivenews.org.uk with 'development plan update' as the subject] or a stamped addressed envelope. Also, if you are keen to see the paper continue there is one thing you could do that would really help us in this time of transition, which is to take out a subscription.

If you are already a subscriber, could you encourage another person to come on-board, or give a gift subscription? If you give three, we will offer you a subscription for free.

I would like to thank all of you who took part in our recent online survey; hundreds of you replied. You were very positive about the paper and keen to see it distributed and promoted more widely. You offered your suggestions for this, as well as your opinions on potential new aspects to the paper, with guest columns, more in-depth features, a letters page and event listings proving popular. I welcome your involvement in the future of Positive News and look forward to hearing from you.

In peace and unity,

Shauna
Editor

Photo: Shauna Crockett Burrows copyright Marta Demartini/HM DIGIART