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:: Introduction
The Biggleswade Chronicle has changed in appearance over the years - photographs were introduced in the 1920s, the paper became tabloid at the beginning of the Second World War, and more recently colour has become a standard feature.
But the core values of the Biggleswade Chronicle have remained simple and clear. It aims to provide a comprehensive news, sport and advertising service to the local area. This has been the underlying secret to its success and steadily increasing sales.
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:: History
The Biggleswade Chronicle has served the East Beds and South Cambs community for more than a century. The very first edition, which hit the streets on October 10, 1891 contained six broadsheet pages full of local, national and international news and cost readers just half a penny.
The newspaper soon switched its publishing day to Friday, and it remains so today. Publication has continued unbroken through the reigns of six monarchs, countless Prime Ministers and two World Wars.
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:: Product
News, sport, leisure and advertising - the Biggleswade Chronicle offers the complete package to its loyal army of readers. The locally based editorial team leads the field in providing coverage of all manner of news - from major crime to the local flower show. The Chronicle's sport and leisure sections are highly regarded in the district, as are its established motoring, recruitment and classified sections.
Community campaigns are a regular feature in the Chronicle including the regular Christmas appeal. The newspaper also led the successful initiative to twin Biggleswade with a town in Germany.
Top competitions and exciting travel offers are offered to readers every week, while the annual Baby Of The Year competition attracts hundreds of entries.
Schools coverage is unrivalled in Bedfordshire. There are regular features on local schools and hundreds of students have taken part in the Chronicle's Newspapers In Education Reading Passport Scheme.
The Biggleswade Chronicle is also a major supporter of all the
key community events including Biggleswade Carnival, Sandy Festival,
Stotfold Festival and the Christmas light switch ons.
Sport
If it's on, it's in. The Biggleswade Chronicle offers the most comprehensive sporting coverage of any paper in the region.
Reports on dozens of different sports are packed into up to nine pages every week - space is found to cover everything from big rugby games to cubs soccer, angling to cricket and much more. It is a must for everybody in the sporting community.
It's Friday
Our popular leisure section, It's Friday, is the best place to find out what's happening in the district and beyond. The section features extensive previews and listings for forthcoming films, live music, local shows and clubs, and our regular columnists offer the lowdown on the latest videos, computer games and books on sale.
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:: Why Us?
Why choose the Biggleswade Chronicle?
• Established local newspaper since 1891.
• Over 2.35 readers per copy.
• Published on a Friday - the ideal day for weekend buying decisions
• Campaigning newspaper - in touch with the local community.
• Local interest sections such as Memory Lane, dedicated pages
to Biggleswade, Sandy and Shefford, and Town & Village news
• Strong local sport section with up to 9 pages of news and results.
• Dedicated publishing team
• The only media outlet based in Biggleswade
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:: Area Profile Biggleswade is a small but growing market town lying in the heart of rural Bedfordshire. At its centre is the pretty Square which has played host to a Saturday market for centuries. Around the square and surrounding streets is a healthy mix of shops and services but the town is also home to four superstores. An established retail park close to the A1 features big-name stores which help draw people in from the outlying towns and villages, and along the A1 corridor.
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• Biggleswade town centre |
Its location on the A1 and the main railway line into Stevenage and London Kings Cross has made Biggleswade a popular commuter town - the population is now close to 20,000 and continues to grow with many homes developments in the pipeline.
But it retains a healthy community spirit and charm and local industries continue to thrive. Its major employers include the cereal bar makers Jordans, Smiths Metal Centres and Saxon Valley Foods, all based on the Stratton Business Park.
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• Biggleswade's
war memorial |
Sandy is famous nationally and internationally as the home of the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB). Europe's largest wildlife conservation charity employs more than 400 people at its base at The Lodge outside the town.
But it has far more to offer - the town centre contains a range of shops including a superstore and the district's Tourist Information Centre. Like Biggleswade, its population is booming with hundreds of homes being built to the north of Sandy.
Middlefield Industrial Estate is home to businesses large and small - some of the more prominent firms including Marshall Mono and Meller Beauty.
Towns & Villages
East Bedfordshire and South Cambridgeshire is a network of small towns - Shefford, Potton, Arlesey and Stotfold - plus dozens of tiny villages. Old Warden and Ickwell are among the prettiest places - Ickwell Green is famous in the region as the venue for May Day festivities around its maypole
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• Ickwell
Maypole |
Shuttleworth is home to a world-famous collection of vintage aeroplanes plus the enchanting Swiss Garden. Champneys Henlow, Britain's first health farm, is a regular destination for the rich and famous.
The forces are well represented in the district. Chicksands, formerly
a US air base, is now Britain's forces training centre while RAF
Henlow has been established for more than three quarters of a century.
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:: Contact
Address:
7 High Street, Biggleswade, Bedfordshire SG18 0JB.
Ad Doc: DX37162 Biggleswade
Switchboard: 01767 222333
Editorial: T:
01767 222555
E:
editorial@biggleswadechronicle.co.uk
Advertising: 01767 222333
Classified Advertising: 01767 222333
Distribution: 01234 409218
Frequency: Weekly titles, published
Fridays.
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