South Gloucestershire | Archive | 2005 | September | 23
From the archive, first published Friday 23rd Sep 2005.
A FORMER editor of a Severnside parish magazine has been rewarded for her work with a national award.
Dinah Spratt, of Aust and a physiotherapist by profession, won the best editor award at the National Parish Magazine Awards for Meeting Point - the parish magazine for the parishes of Alveston and Aust.
For the awards, which were organised by Tewkesbury-based Sarum Graphics, Mrs Spratt was asked to enter to two copies of Meeting Point to be considered by judges.
Mrs Spratt, who was editor of the monthly publication for two years before she stood down from the position in June, said she was pleased to have been given the award.
"It was really good to get the award and I am chuffed because I am a physiotherapist," she said.
"My mother was a journalist and it was fun to see what it was like in her world for a bit.
"I enjoyed editing the magazine because it was teaching me something new. I had to learn how to use Microsoft Word and do all the formatting. It was nice to get people involved to submit articles and it was also nice because I got to find out what was going on in the parish."
The magazine was also fourth in the best magazine category, which was entered by parish magazines from all over the country.
Mrs Spratt, who works from home and at a private practice in Clifton, added: "Some of the committee have been working on the magazine for 25 years. It is a very well oiled machine and everybody puts in a real effort - they like to get the magazine up to a very high standard."
Chairman Bill Morgan of the magazine committee said: "We are very pleased with the awards. It is a happy magazine and it is nice to be recognised.
"I think the magazine offers readers a variety of local information and a variety of different things to read."
The free magazine is delivered to every home within the two parishes - a distribution of 1,400 homes.
© Newsquest Media Group 2008