The Missing Link

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first edition

where it all started

THE MISSING LINK REMEMBERED
 Betty Whitwell was second founding Editor, taking over from Paul Wilkinson when work pressures meant that he had to give up.  When Richard Shaw arrived there was no village magazine and the church magazine, The Link, had ceased publication some time before he arrived.  He asked Paul Wilkinson to put together a team of people and create a magazine for the whole village not just for the church.  Wendy did the typing and lots of church members were involved and some are still involved,  The name comes from The Link that people had been sorry to see go.
In early 1982, the Revd. Richard Shaw and Mrs. Betty Whitwell, a village resident who was working for the Community Council of Humberside, called an initial meeting of interested parties to put forward the suggestion that a Barrow and District Community Newsletter could be started in the village to follow on from the previous village journal, coincidentally called the Link, which had been in existence some time before under the auspices of Mr. Peter Welch.
It had to encompass a universal non-denominational brief covering village and church news, events and items of general interest or concern, also including the Parish Council details, Police, Clinics and information and contact details on the many (25 at the time) local groups.
An embryo steering committee was later formed and an initial meeting was arranged in The Vicar's Room on High Street in Barrow.


Volunteers were appointed to various posts including the Editor....Paul.... and choosing a new name, fundraising, banking, formulating layout and printing were discussed. The name "The Missing Link" was chosen as appropriate due to its previous connections and a logo was designed.
Thus it was that in June 1982, thanks to many financial contributions sought and received from all sections of the local community that the very first, and free, issue of the new "magazine" was distributed in the village by volunteers.
This took the form of six A4 sheets printed on a Roneo stencil machine (seen to the left) by the Revd. Barry Leah and Mrs. Pam Green, containing various news items, Church and local notices, local information, play schemes etc. and details of the Parish Council meetings etc. including a letter of congratulation to the new "Link" from the indomitable Chairman of the Barrow Parish Council, Mr. Thomas J. Clark.

Thanks to the years of hard work of many volunteers, compiling, typing, typesetting, assembling, stapling, delivering etc. and a committee which has comprised of a turnover of many local volunteers over the years, the magazine has now established itself as an invaluable addition to the locality and has been produced professionally for some time now.
Thanks to all the contributors in whatever way they played their part.
A brief list (possibly incomplete due to memory on my part) of those involved initially in 1982 is appended below to give them their few minutes of fame:-
Betty Whitwell, Revd. Richard Shaw, Revd. Barry Leah, Mrs. Pam Green, Paul and Wendy Wilkinson, Pam and Noel Loxley,
Robert and Anthony Hebblewhite, Mrs. I. Fraser, Miss M. French, Mrs. A. Akehurst, Miss D. Patchett.

by.........Noel Loxley.......... ( "Link" deliverer in the village for 25 years, original committee member, fund gatherer and the person who named the magazine.)
and ..... Paul Wilkinson


 
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