Sara Britcliffe, Member of Parliament for Hyndburn & Haslingden, welcomed Tracy Simmonds, Editor of the well-known Acorn Community News Magazine, to Number 10 Downing Street in a reception celebrating local media champions on the 19 April.
The event celebrated the crucial role played by local media in informing and engaging communities across the UK. Ms Britcliffe invited Ms Simmonds to the event to highlight the importance of local media in providing accurate and relevant information to local people, and to recognise the vital contributions made by local journalists and editors like Ms Simmonds. The reception provided an opportunity for local media representatives to connect with policymakers and discuss ways to support and strengthen local media in the face of economic and technological challenges.
The reception was attended by a diverse group of local media representatives, including journalists, editors, and publishers from across the UK. The event also featured remarks from other policymakers, including Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, Lucy Frazer MP.
Speaking after the event, Ms. Britcliffe said:
I am delighted to invite Tracy down to Westminster for the local media champions reception at Number 10 Downing Street. Local media plays a vital role in our democracy, informing people, promoting accountability, and building strong communities.
I know the Acorn Community News magazine is well-known and respected throughout Hyndburn and Tracy has done amazing work with it over the years. She thoroughly deserved this experience and I hope she enjoyed it.
We are lucky in our area to have a number of great local journalists who always report local news in a fair and accurate way and promote our community.
Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport Lucy Frazer said:
Local journalism helps local areas stay connected, generates local pride and keeps communities engaged in local issues. Local journalists capture the heart of our communities and make sure politicians are doing their jobs better by holding them to account.
It was wonderful to joined by local journalist across the country in Downing Street last week - from community news sites, radio shows and free sheets - to thank them for their work to keep communities connected.
