Liphook Community Magazine Winter 2021

EN JUBILEE
Community Magazine
From that point on, with a new editorial outlook and changing
from monthly to quarterly issues, there seems to have been
no looking back.
The first issue of Hook had only twelve pages but by Summer
1972 in the metamorphosed Liphook Community Magazine
content increased to 32 pages. In these early years it was in
black and white, with the occasional flash of one colour on
the cover. The first cover with a colour photo reproduced on
it was in Autumn 1998 which featured the flowers around
Liphook, both in the beds planted by Liphook In Bloom but
also the lovely displays put on by certain businesses such as
The Black Fox and Inwood Stoves.
The first issue with colour photos inside was Autumn 2000 with
a special centre spread featuring photos of Liphook in Bloom,
Ludshott Manor Garden Party, Bramshott Open Gardens
Weekend and Liphook Churches Summer Celebration. Sue
Knight, one of the committee members, vividly recalls great
discussions on the principle of introducing colour.
One particular person who deserves a special mention is Dr
Alan Wilson O.B.E. who was Chairman of the magazine
committee from 1973 to December 2011 and the magazine
flourished under his leadership. Apart from his post of Chairman,
Alan also wrote editorials and articles on diverse subjects.
For the magazine’s
Silver Jubilee, a
celebration party
was held on
October 4th 1996
in the Church
Centre with about
80 attendees and
there was a feature
report of this in the
Winter 1996 issue.
Notable volunteers
involved at this
stage included
Alan and Margaret
Wilson, Anne
Silver, Peggy Keens
and Mavis and
Bernard Cutler.
Other contributors
whose names we may still recognise today included Laurence
Giles and Adrian Bird.
Over the following twenty-five years to the current date the
magazine has continued to prosper thanks to all it’s volunteers,
production team and advertisers. It is worth mentioning that
although the magazine relies on it’s volunteers if we did not
have advertisers the magazine would not be able to exist. All
production costs are met by the charge for advertising and
from the annual appeal. Throughout this time the magazine
has always welcomed submissions from the community. We
now aim to have 42 or 44 pages per quarterly issue which is
a considerable achievement for a magazine run by volunteers
in such a small
community.
One of the most
important changes
in recent years
must be that
of technology,
enabling us to
research from the
comfort of our
own homes thanks
to the internet (but
not forgetting the
Heritage Centre),
file reports with
ease and taking
our own photos
while we are out
and about with
just a phone in our
pockets. However, none of us could have foreseen the Covid
pandemic of 2020-21. We quickly had to adapt to having our
meetings via Zoom. Electronic communication and research
became more important than ever. A particular challenge was
that of the editing and layout of the magazine all carried out
at distance. The editorial team had to adapt or delay some of
their planned articles as we were unable to access records in
the Heritage Centre but looking back at those issues it is
surprising what we managed to achieve.
To finish we would like to include a quote from the then
Rector, Rev Robin Ewbank, who at the Silver Jubilee
Celebration in 1996, said, “We tend to take for granted that
we have such a wonderful magazine. I know of no other
village of comparable size that produces such a magazine and
I want to say thank you and please go on doing it.” We hope
that these sentiments still hold good today and look forward
to many more years of the Liphook Community Magazine.
Jen Woodsford
Compiled with the help of previous contributors
and The Heritage Centre.
Some of the members of the current committee.
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