Four years in Glaisdale

We've now been in Glaisdale (eight miles from Whitby) for four years, and we intend to stay. Our move from London in 2009 was a step into the unknown but Glaisdale village turned out to be what we'd hoped for - with an excellent small school and an active community of interesting and friendly people. Leaving behind close friends and publishing contacts was difficult at first but we carried on working freelance for publishers we'd known in London and managed to survive for the first few months. I then got a lucky break - a notice in the local butcher's shop for a job to co-ordinate trips on the 'Heather Hopper', a community minibus aimed at getting isolated or less mobile people out on sociable trips. This proved to be a great way to get to know people up and down the Esk Valley and I've only recently given it up to focus on publishing. The other fortunate break was when Ann Bowes agreed to let us take over Valley News magazine, in April 2010, as she wanted to develop her own publishing company in new directions (Fryup Press). Ann had done a lot of the hard work in getting the magazine up and running with a ready-made list of advertisers and subscribers and a distribution network. We've spent the last three years generating content, building contacts and developing the magazine. It's a lot of fun and from the feedback and friends we've made it seems to be working...