Skegness Magazine

1969

Inspired by the TV serial “Adventure Weekly,” four ten-year-old boys have started their own hand-written newspaper. Their office is a garden shed which they have fitted up with a double desk, a shelf, cupboards and an old typewriter.
The production team is headed by Robert Johnson, of 26 Scarbrough Avenue, who, as editor of the ” Weekly Globe,” is aiming at an initial circulation of 15.
But, as he says in his editorial, ” We may not reach this target as we’re doing it all by hand.” The typewriter is only for appearance; it has a broken tape which means the carriage has to be pushed along after each letter. But it is good for the paper’s image.
A vital member of the team is Neil Cooper, of Waterworks Cottage, Burgh Road, for the office is in his garden and was made available by his father when the tools were transferred to a disused aviary.
FIXED UP CABLE
“I’ve fixed up some cable from the garage to our office so that when my dad connects it up to the mains we will be able to have an electric light,” he told me.
“There’s still quite a bit to do but when we have given the office a coat of paint and seen to the floor it will look very, very smart.”
Robert couples with his duties as a reporter those of caretaker and general manager. Stephen Field, of 45 Lumley Crescent, is the artist and also “shares the script ” with Robert. Sport is in the capable hands of Peter Coote who, like the other boys, is in Form 4A at the Cavendish Road Junior School.
MOON SHOT AND MATT
The first issue has as its lead story an account of the fox which killed a penguin in Natureland and met its end under the wheels of a car. Also on the front page is an item about the death of Richmal Crompton, writer of the “Just William” stories.
The six exercise book pages contain a home-made crossword, an article on Matt Busby’s retirement, jokes and puzzles and “a youngster’s view of the Apollo 8 trip,” written by Stephen’s seven-year-old brother, Patrick.
Stephen explained: My brother said, ‘ Can I help, Stephen?’ Robert said, ‘ Write something about Apollo 8.’ Robert said, ‘This is good — we’ll put it in.’
“I always think it’s quite interesting reading a young child’s work. I put the correct spelling in.”
Top-level decisions sometimes leads to friction. And so it was with the ” Weekly Globe.” A free front-page advert for the Help Association, a social service run by girls at the school, led to the resignation of joint-editor David Croxford. He is alleged to have disagreed with giving such prominence to girls’ activities.
But his earnest young colleagues want their appal to be as wide as possible, especially if they are to sell their papers at 3d each.
My mother says 3d is too much,” said Robert, ” but we put a lot of hard work into it.” Possibly they will give the income to a charity but this is a policy matter yet to be decided.
One thing worried them. Did they have to have a licence before they could sell it? But a call on the police allayed any fears they might have had of legal proceedings.
Already they have contributed 2s 1d to the cash box to give the paper financial stability.
How about adverts ? They were not sure if the Tower Cinema would mind if they publicised their films in advance.
Stephen, with a quick eye on reader reaction, said, ” I don’t think we’ll bother with the cinemas because the films aren’t always suitable for children.”
Equipping the office has been quite a long job. “It’s surprising what you can find,” commented Neil.
RIVAL LOOMS
His father bought the double desk from the school, where they are being sold off at 5s each, and the home-made shelf can also be used for writing on.
An ice-cream stand, given by a shopkeeper, will be used for a contents bill, if possible in the school corridor.
Problems loom ahead.

Robert realises that the next edition has to be on the planning board while they are selling No 1.
We’ve got to have a boyish and girlish newspaper, but I’m used to writing gruesome stories,” he said. ” What fascinates me is how you find all this news because Skegness is a peaceful town and nothing much happens.”
The boys of 4A have other worries. Competition is growing. Other groups are being formed who may yet wrest their hard-won circulation from them.
But just at the moment the pioneer “Globe” has the market to itself.
“There are two or three groups formed to do the same thing — but they don’t seem to have much success,” said Robert.

Picture: Inside the hot news room, the boys are hard at work with their pencils – from left to right: Robert, Peter, Neil and Stephen.