The current edition of Caerphilly Observer marks one year in print – and what a year it has been.
Caerphilly Observer began life as an online only publication in 2009 and since then we have grown to reach thousands of readers.
Each fortnight we print 10,000 copies of the newspaper, which is distributed to around 80 outlets across Caerphilly County Borough.
Last month our website attracted a record 50,000 different visitors generating in excess of 130,000 page impressions – a huge achievement of which we are rightly proud.
But our success online, and in print, is of course down to you our readers.
We’d also like to thank our very loyal advertisers and outlets for their continued support in creating a news service that everyone in Caerphilly County Borough can be proud of.
There are still huge improvements to be made though and we will continue to grow.
We’d also like to extend a huge thank you to Phill Loveless at Caerphilly County Borough Council for his help in getting our print edition off the ground.
In May last year we successfully applied for a grant through the council’s rural development programme, Caerffili Cwm a Mynydd. The grant allowed us to get this newspaper started and without Phill’s help this would not have been possible.
Questions were asked by the wider media industry on whether we could legitimately hold the council to account – given that it helped us get started.
Our coverage of the council has proven that we are not afraid to ask the tough questions.
The judges at this year’s Newspaper Awards agreed and highly commended this publication as came runner-up in the Printed Innovation of the Year Category.
Their citation read: “Quality journalism driven by a real passion to represent its area and hold power to scrutiny.”
Local politicians of all parties have told us how much they value this scrutiny and to be recognised by industry peers was a very proud moment for us.
We were also very proud when we were named as a finalist in the 2013 Caerphilly Business Forum Awards.
Another highlight was a letter from Buckingham Palace on behalf of Her Majesty The Queen, who wished us well in the run-up to our first print anniversary.
In October last year we moved into offices at Caerphilly Business Park and in February we took on reporter Gareth Hill.
His contribution to our success cannot be underestimated and he has made a significant impact.
Special thanks also needs to go to our Sales Executive Jan Withers.
Her extensive knowledge and expertise means we have a solid business base to grow from.
But again, the people we really need to thank are you our readers.
Without you we wouldn’t have a newspaper and we love hearing feedback from you – good and bad.
If you have any suggestions on how we can improve then please get in contact with us on 02921 250855 or email richard@caerphilly.observer.